Dragonborns with Fangs - Selene Stormblade Book 5
by Whisper292
Summary: After more than a year of peace and quiet, Selene Stormblade receives an urgent letter from Ulfric Stormcloak, asking for her help. She arrives in Windhelm to find that the sun has disappeared from the sky. Along with a mysterious Redguard named Blanche, Selene must find out what caused the sun to vanish before the world is plunged into darkness.
1. Dragonborns with Fangs 1: Call for Help

Dragonborns with Fangs One

Call for Help

Ulfric Stormcloak looked out his bedroom window at the morning sun, which peeked out from behind the clouds. A few snowflakes drifted from the sky, but all in all, it was a lovely day in Eastmarch. The Evening Star temperatures were frigid as usual, but after the events of two days ago, he knew it could be a lot worse.

Nilsine groaned behind him, and he turned away from the window and went to the bed, where he sat down next to her and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She had been ill for several days, and Ulfric worried for her well-being. "How do you feel?"

"Better," his wife said. "I may be able to eat something."

"I'll call for Jorleif."

"Is it still dark out?"

"No, the sun is up."

She sat up and leaned in to kiss him with soft lips. "Then I'll say 'good morning.' Ulfric, why did that happen?"

"I don't know, my love. But I'm going to call for help."

"How can she possibly help with this?"

"If anyone can, it's Selene."

He stepped outside the room and ordered the guard to send for his steward; then he went to his desk, took out a piece of good stationery, and wrote.

Selene,

There has been a strange occurrence in Eastmarch, and I need your assistance. This is urgent; come as soon as you are able. I will explain further when you arrive.

Ulfric Stormcloak  
High King of Skyrim

Ulfric reread the letter and considered making changes, uncertain how to pose a request like this. Summoning his beloved—no, _favorite_—operative was not unusual in and of itself, but it was for a reason such as this.

Skyrim was a dire, cold place; anyone would say so. It was frozen, bleak, and its crevices and cracks housed dangers at almost every turn. It was a good place to get lost if you wanted to die. But it was not without its softer points and hospitable nooks to make life livable. Even so, these nooks were few and far between, and natural blessings were rare. So when the greatest natural blessing of all—the sun—decided it simply didn't like being in the sky anymore, Ulfric knew there were forces at work he didn't—couldn't—understand. Even his court mage was baffled.

Although he had managed to keep a cool head, Ulfric had been just as frightened as everyone else. After the crisis was over and his initial fear abated, however, the main thing he felt was irritation that the very sun would disappear and he couldn't do anything about it. It irked him when things were out of his control, and at this stage in his life, nothing should have been. Skyrim was at peace; he had fulfilled his dream of becoming High King; and though he and Nilsine had had a bit of a rocky start, they were generally happy together. He still couldn't say he loved her; but she was intelligent, good company, and she warmed his bed at night. He had grown quite fond of her, and that was enough. These days, they were trying for a child. He had most everything he had ever wanted, and if there was anything else he desired, it was instantly at his disposal.

But the sun was the ruler of the day, and day presided over all lands, from Morrowind to the Summerset Isles. And what was the day to do without a ruler? Be defeated by the night. And so it had. Darkness had shrouded the hold for hours, and the people just outside Ulfric's door had practically gone mad with terror. Trade in the market had stopped, the streets were empty, and the houses were locked and silent. A few people had packed and left, and the guards were on edge. Fortunately, nothing had come of it and the light had returned, but the fact that the sun had even bothered to leave in the first place was enough to cause disquiet in Ulfric's otherwise hardy soul. But how to convey all that to Selene in writing without sounding like a milk-drinking bard?

_No_, he thought, _this letter is fine as it is. Better that I explain in person._ He sealed it and gave it to Jorleif to send out post haste.

* * *

Selene Stormblade released a heavy sigh as she read Ulfric's letter. She and Brynjolf had managed to live in peace for more than a year after they had returned from Solstheim. They had come home to Riften and taken the reins of the Thieves Guild back from Delvin and Vex, Rowan had been born, and they had settled into a happy, comfortable routine. But how long could that really last? She had been expecting something to happen anytime.

She took the letter to Brynjolf, who was sitting on their bed playing with the baby. A row of dolls was lined up on the bed, and Rowan was busy throwing them on the floor for Brynjolf to pick up, which he did every time. She had him well trained. Rowan was Dada's little girl, and he took her everywhere he went. Well, they both did, really. They had thought when Selene had first become pregnant that they weren't parent material, but having Rowan had certainly proven otherwise. Selene still worried about her, though. She had miscarried Rowan's twin. Would she know? Would she grow up feeling out of place, as though something was missing? At times like this, watching her play with Brynjolf, Selene felt the loss of the other child so profoundly it made her chest hurt.

Brynjolf looked up. "What's wrong?"

She strode over to the bed and handed him the note, then sat down. Rowan crawled in her lap and brushed her fiery red curls under Selene's chin. "Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma!"

"It's about time you started saying that, little one. I was getting tired of hearing 'da da da da' all the time."

Brynjolf read the letter and shook his head. "Well, it lasted longer than I thought it would."

"I don't have to go."

"Of course you do."

"That's it? No argument?"

"Well, he may not be my best friend, but he is High King. Besides, I see the look in your eye, Selene. You might not want to admit it, but you want to go. You've been restless, and this will be good for you. I think it would be best if I stayed here, though."

Selene's heart sank. She knew he was right; she could be heading into danger, and they couldn't risk leaving Rowan without a parent. But that didn't mean it would be easy. It was with a heavy heart that she packed and set out the next morning, kissing her husband and daughter goodbye.

Her first night on the road, Selene shifted to her beast form and hunted. She didn't get to hunt enough these days; and the freedom from her daily concerns, the feel of the wind in her fur as she dashed after a deer, the taste of blood and meat as she devoured the animal, just the ability to _howl_, was intoxicating. The mountains themselves shook as she sang praises to the moons.

There were only three in the pack now. Athis had recently joined the Companions' Inner Circle, and though Vilkas had tried desperately to talk him out of it, he had taken the blood as well. Though she had never hunted with him, she could feel his presence as strongly as she could Aela's. But Vilkas had been cured of the beast blood long ago, and Farkas had cured himself a short while back when he had met his wife. He'd had a brief flirtation with Aela; but when Blanche, a lovely and mysterious Redguard, had joined the Companions and become a werewolf, he had fallen for her. They had cured themselves together and were now happily married and living in Windhelm in a house Selene and Brynjolf had given them as a wedding present. They had been in Solstheim at the time and hadn't been able to attend the couple's nuptials, so Selene had never actually met Blanche. She was planning to stop by for a visit while she was in Windhelm.

After three nights on the road, Selene arrived in Windhelm around noon to find it all but deserted. The stalls in the marketplace weren't even open.

"What in Oblivion?" she muttered as she made her way through the empty streets to the Palace of the Kings.

"Glad you're here, Stormblade," said Olaf, the guard who let her into the locked palace. "The High King has been very anxious."

"What is going on?"

"You'll need to talk to him."

Selene nodded and stepped through the door.

* * *

Ulfric was seated in his throne at a less leisurely angle than usual, exchanging low conversation with Galmar when Selene entered the palace.

"Well met, Stormblade," Galmar huffed.

"Selene!" Ulfric was off his throne in a heartbeat. It took a good deal of effort for him to keep from being too enthusiastic, but he couldn't resist taking her hand and touching it to his lips. "It's good to see you."

Selene squeezed his hand and pulled hers away. "It's good to see you, too, Your Grace," she replied uneasily, turning her eyes away. "Hello, Galmar. Now, tell me what is going on in the city. Where is everyone?"

Ulfric blinked, his hand left empty and his name replaced with something of a frigid title. "You promised to continue calling me Ulfric."

"In private. In court, it's Your Grace. We talked about this."

"This _is_ private."

Selene looked around and realized that aside from Galmar they were alone. Jorleif was nowhere to be seen, and even the guards had retired to the far end of the hall. "All right," she relented with a smile. "It's good to see you, Ulfric. Now, where is everyone?"

Her warm smile only made things worse, and for a moment, he found he couldn't speak. All he could think of was the way her sapphire eyes sparkled in the candlelight and how an errant wisp of her nearly black hair fell across her cheek. It had been short the last time he had seen her, but it was growing out now and fell alluringly to her shoulders. Would he ever get over this beautiful, amazing woman?

He quickly regained his composure with the help of a mental image of Nilsine and Galmar's awkward cough behind him. "Hiding," he replied, "as if the sun will fall out of the sky next. Gods know it might. . . . Have you ever seen the sun vanish, Selene?"

"I've seen eclipses, when one of the moons passed before it. But that's not what you're talking about, is it? You wouldn't have sent for me for an astronomy lesson. You're talking about the sun actually falling out of the sky. I have to admit that as a thief, I'm more comfortable when the sun isn't in the sky, but eternal night? The implications of that are staggering. I don't know if I'll be able to help you, love. That's some powerful magic. Then again, if it's magic, there's probably a mage involved, and I can handle mages."

A fainter-hearted man would have melted perhaps when Selene called him "love." Ulfric fortunately was devoid of that sort of weakness. Nonetheless, the offhand comment shed him a little joy, and he smiled briefly before drawing closer, his face turning grave. "Selene, this was no eclipse. The sun was swallowed. Engulfed. It turned red as blood, and darkness covered not just the city; reports tell me it covered the entire hold and stretched into a few neighboring ones. Eclipses don't do that, and they also don't last a full day."

Selene stared at him for a few moments, trying to digest the information. "What on Nirn could swallow the sun? Then again, maybe it isn't _on_ Nirn. It almost sounds like the work of a Daedric Prince. I can think of one or two who might benefit from plunging the world into darkness. Then I have to wonder why it didn't last and if it will even happen again." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Ulfric, I don't even know where to start. Maybe Wuunferth. Have you talked to him? Or someone at the college."

"Of course I've spoken to Wuunfurth!" Ulfric retorted. "He is just as much in the dark as I am—no pun intended. I'm inclined to think it originated in this hold, since the scouts report no such event in the others. And I believe the Thalmor have something to do with it."

Selene rolled her eyes. "Ulfric, you _always_ believe the Thalmor are responsible. You kicked them out of Skyrim the minute you became High King, and while I know as well as you do that they're not going to go quietly, what could they possibly have to gain by destroying the sun?" She stopped and thought for a second. "That's it," she said softly. "Who would have the most to gain by blocking out the sun, by causing darkness to fall across the land?"

"Thieves," Galmar barked.

"Is that an accusation, Galmar?" Selene teased. "I suppose it could be thieves. Maybe some rabid Nocturnal worshipers with a powerful mage at their disposal. But who else?"

"Vampires."

Ulfric gave him a wry look. "This is serious, Galmar."

Selene turned her head curiously, and Ulfric got the idea that although he thought the notion was ridiculous, she was actually considering the possibility. "Right, then. Well, the first thing I'll do is head up to the College of Winterhold and see if they have any ideas. Failing that, I'll go back to the Guild and see what I can turn up. I won't rule out the Thalmor as a possibility, but let's check some other avenues first." She placed a hand on his arm and gazed into his eyes. "We'll figure this out, Ulfric."

He rested his hand over hers and squeezed a bit. "I didn't think to ask before; how are Brynjolf and your baby?"

"Wonderful. Ulfric, she's so beautiful, and she's such a happy child. And I don't think _I've_ ever been so happy." The comment stung, and Selene seemed to know instinctively because she immediately turned the conversation away from herself. "What about Nilsine? Is she well? Any babies on the horizon for the High King?"

He sighed. "None yet, but Nilsine has her hopes high." He glanced over his shoulder and added in a low voice, "Galmar is going to be the honorary grandfather when the time comes."

"No, I'm not!"

Ulfric laughed. "Like it or not, the child will need someone's knee to sit on, and I doubt Wuunferth would appreciate the honor." He turned back to Selene. "Take care of yourself, Selene. I would never forgive myself if I sent you to harm."

"I'll let you know what I find out."

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC

_A/N: This story is a collaboration with digipup on deviantART. Be sure to give us a review_!


	2. Dragonborns with Fangs 2: Blanche

Dragonborns with Fangs Two

Blanche

Selene left the palace with a plan to head north, but she wanted to stop in and see Farkas first to visit, particularly so she could meet Blanche. And who knew? Maybe they could help with the mystery of the disappearing sun. A letter she had received from Farkas said his wife was "real smart."

She walked purposefully through the deserted streets of Windhelm to Hjerim. When she knocked on the door, there was a lot of scuffling inside, along with a few giggles and whispers. The door opened a crack and a small, dark face poked out. "'Hello, who's there?"

Then a fair, big-eyed face appeared. "Oh! Visitors!"

Both disappeared, leaving the door ajar, and Selene could hear them calling something about "a pretty lady with a ring in her nose" on the porch. Somewhere, a dog started barking. No one came back to the door right away; but there was a little movement, and a small, white fox peered its pointed face out and looked up at Selene.

Selene's face lit up, and she knelt to say hello, but the fox scuttled away.

"Put on your helmet!" one of the children piped. "It'll scare her off if she's a bad guy!"

"I don't think she's a bad guy, Sofie." The door opened, and there was Farkas, sweet and cheerful as ever. "Selene!" he beamed.

Selene reached up and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him warmly, and he picked her up and swung her around. "It's good to see you, you big lug," she said when he put her down. "Did I see two kids and a pet fox? You've been busy, my man!"

He looked at her blankly for a moment, and then said, "Oh! No, we adopted them."

She didn't bother to tell him that of course she knew that. She simply knelt down and cooed at the fox, which had peeped out from behind his leg. "Come here, sweetie. Let me say hi to you." The fox shied away, fear permeating its scent, so she just waved at the two children who were also peering out from behind their da, realizing she recognized one of them.

"Well, hello, Sofie."

"Hello," replied the little girl who had once sold flowers on the cold street near the Windhelm docks. "I remember you. Da, this lady used to buy flowers from me all the time."

Selene stood back to full height and regarded Farkas. "I was in Windhelm and thought I'd stop by for a visit. I hope it's not a bad time."

"You're here about the sun, aren't you?" he asked earnestly.

Selene nodded. "Ulfric sent for me. So . . . can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah." He stepped aside and held the door for her. The fox scampered over to Sofie, who picked it up and snuggled it with a little smile, eyes never leaving Selene.

Farkas strolled cheerfully inside, holding Selene's hand not unlike a child would. "This is a great place . . . Sofie and Lucia—the girls, that's their names, y'know—are always hunting around for other secret doors, since Blanche took over the wardrobe." He smiled shyly. "I can't think of a way to thank you and Brynjolf."

"We were glad for you to have it." Selene squeezed his hand. "We certainly didn't need it. Besides, I gave your brother a house for his wedding; it was only right to give you one too." Sofie brought the fox over, and Selene scratched it behind the ears. "I used to have a pet fox too. Her name was Liska."

"What happened to her?" Sofie asked, her eyes getting a little bigger.

"She found a mate and went off to have babies."

"Oh, good." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to say she died."

"No, I'm glad I didn't have to go through that. It would have made me so sad."

Hjerim was expensively appointed with high-quality furniture and exotic rugs. Dotting the walls here and there were weapon plaques, most holding an ebony or dragonbone weapon; several of the weapons held unique etchings and designs, always the glow of enchantment, and all were just out of the girls' reach. Mannequins displayed many different types of outfits, often with a cloak. The myriad scents wafting through the house hinted at stew, mead, sweets, blood, animal skins, and weapon oil. It was a warrior's home—even the girls were armed, sporting ebony daggers on their belts—and though it couldn't be called cozy, it had an air of comfort and happiness about it. There were books everywhere; almost every horizontal surface had at least one or two books resting on it. The titles ranged from _Immortal Blood_ to _A Kiss, Sweet Mother_ to _The Book of the Dragonborn_. There were even some titles in other languages.

"Farkas, who is it?" a voice called from the kitchen as a slim Redguard appeared in the doorway.

Farkas all but bolted for the woman and took her hand, tugging her toward Selene. "My friend, the one I told you about. Come on, you should meet her."

Blanche was a pretty woman, though her cheeks were bony and a bit sunken. Her chin was slim, her nose was sharp, and her jaw and cheekbones were firm and prominent, but her brow was soft. Her figure and carriage suggested a strong litheness, sure footing, and a past involving weapons, though she wasn't carrying one at the moment. Her skin was a dark bronze, but her hair, which was cut to chin length and smoothed back out of her face, was snowy white. Her war paint was also white, striping down her face over each eye, with a smudge that looked like a thumbprint on her forehead. Her eyes were a striking brandy color that gleamed in the candlelight, and they rested on Selene with a strange sort of curiosity, reserved but not afraid.

The color of Blanche's eyes stirred something in Selene she couldn't recognize. There was something about this woman she should know, but it was just beyond her reach. She sniffed her surreptitiously, and even her scent was odd. It reminded her of something . . . someone . . . but she couldn't place it offhand. That being said, she didn't sense any malice in the woman, and she made Farkas happy, so that was all that mattered.

"You are Selene, then," Blanche said in a strange, broken accent, her voice low and even but not unfriendly. "It is good to meet you."

"I'm glad to finally meet you, too. I'm so sorry Brynjolf and I couldn't make it to the wedding; I'm afraid we were up to our ears in ash at the time. I'm glad to see you've settled into the house. I love what you've done with it."

"I think you more than made up for your absence with it, yes. It was very generous of you."

Sofie tugged on Farkas's tunic. "Da, you put my books up on the shelf and now I can't reach them! Can you help me?"

Farkas nodded. "You girls can get acquainted while I go help Sofie."

"So, then," Blanche said as Farkas followed Sofie out of the room. "What brings you to Windhelm? It can't be the weather or the amiable population." She turned and headed back into the kitchen as if she expected Selene to follow. Selene was light on her feet, but this woman glided so smoothly that her head didn't even bob with her steps. She had also apparently been preparing some stew, and she proceeded to add some carrots.

Selene wandered in after her, picking up _Immortal Blood_ and paging through it absently. "I love this book; it's one of my favorites. I'm a big reader, too. I got a little too involved with Hermaeus Mora recently, and Brynjolf likes to say it was my own fault because I love books so much. Turns out that opening _some_ books gives you more than you bargained for. I have to admit, though, his realm of Apocrypha was an interesting place. Dangerous, but interesting. Most of the buildings are actually made of books."

"Hermaeus Mora, eh?" Blanche nonchalantly tapped her ladle on the side of the pot. "I never trusted that one. Too much like Clavicus Vile. Still useful from time to time, but I wouldn't want to be on his bad side."

"Well, fortunately he loves me at the moment. I'm his 'champion,' although I've never done anything directly for him, or even agreed to. I just hope it doesn't come back to bite me on the arse."

"I wouldn't care much to be on his good side either, myself." She added some herbs to the stew and stirred. "But Daedra will be Daedra."

Selene put the book down on the table. "As for your question, I was summoned to Windhelm by the High King to see if I can help deal with this sun—he said the sun just vanished from the sky! Were you here? Did you see it?"

"Oh, all this sun-vanishing business. Mm-hmm, I saw it while I was out hunting. Certainly . . . unusual, wouldn't you say? And the king thinks some elves are responsible or something, yes? Anything to excuse his prejudice against them." She set the stew to cook and took a seat on the hearth, warming her hands by the fire.

"He wants to get at the truth, no matter what it is," Selene responded, trying to keep annoyance out of her voice or start on a rant on how Ulfric was trying to do better but changing one's ways wasn't always easy. The fact that Blanche's assessment was spot-on didn't help the matter. "Oh, gods, I hope Hermaeus Mora's not involved in this. We were speculating that it seemed like the work of a Daedric Prince, and I can see him doing something like this just to get my attention."

"Daedric Prince indeed. I would guess Nocturnal, but there was a little too much red in the sky for that. Molag Bal, maybe, since Coldharbour is reputed to have a sky similar to whatever struck Eastmarch. I don't know what the point would be, though."

"It wasn't Nocturnal, even if Galmar did try to blame the spell on thieves. I would know if it was her." Selene sat down in a chair nearby. "So, Blanche, what do you do? I know you're a Companion; what's your specialty?"

Blanche rubbed her hands together and then opened them to the fire again. "I'm a fair shot with a bow, and weapons themselves are not foreign to me, thanks to the Companions. Still, I much prefer magic. I also work with the arcane; if you ever need something enchanted, bring it to me and it will be done. For a price, of course." She fixed her calm, orange eyes on Selene again. The light of the blaze reflected off of them, and almost seemed to turn them into small flames themselves. "And what about you, Stormblade? What do you do?"

It almost sounded like a challenge, but Selene was determined to like Blanche, so she decided to give full disclosure. "Please, call me Selene. The titles make me uncomfortable. I'm an archer, first and foremost; I'm pretty good with a sword too, thanks to your husband and his brother. I'm the best at hiding in the shadows, and that and my sense of smell have gotten me out of a lot of scrapes. I'm usually good at figuring out puzzles, but I think this one's going to be tough. I know Nocturnal pretty well, and I have to admit nighttime is preferable for thieves, but this just doesn't feel like her. I don't know much about Molag Bal, though. I plan going to the College of Winterhold and seeing if anybody there knows anything. You're a mage; did you go to the college? Have you met Urag, the librarian? Sometimes I think that orc knows everything."

She stopped herself and chuckled. "I'm babbling. Sorry about that. It's just . . . I'm not . . . I'm not usually this clumsy at conversation." Selene decided to cut the bullshit and just tell her. "Your eyes glow. It's disconcerting."

The corners of Blanche's lips twitched into a brief smile. "They do that." She turned away from the fire and folded her hands. "It seems we have quite a bit in common, then. I did go to the college, and still do when my travels take me past." She paused. Although no expression crossed her face, it was obvious from the look in her eyes that her wheels suddenly turned several gears. "I have a few things to do in Winterhold. We could travel together, if you like. When were you planning to leave?"

Selene was briefly taken aback, but in truth, she was pleasantly surprised. Blanche still made her uncomfortable, but her curiosity was greater than her apprehension. Besides, not only was she married to one of Selene's dearest friends, she was a fellow Companion and therefore her shield-sister. She deserved to be given the benefit of the doubt.

"Of course," she said with a cautious smile. "I had planned on leaving immediately and camping on the road, but if you need to discuss it with Farkas and get packed, we can leave tomorrow morning."

"This won't be the first time I leave on short notice. He keeps the place in order well enough on his own—" As if on cue, Farkas blundered past the door with Lucia on his back, his hair fixed into a big braid and tied with a bow, at which Selene laughed fondly.

"—usually," Blanche finished. "We can leave this evening, if you want."

"Sure, tonight is fine," Selene replied, still chuckling. She dearly loved that man. "Do you have a horse? I'll need to borrow one from the stables. I usually just walk everywhere. Makes Ulfric crazy."

"Yes, I—" Blanche blinked. "You walk everywhere? Why?"

"If I'm in a rush or have a lot of gear to carry, I will get one, but in normal circumstances, they usually prove more trouble than they're worth. For one thing, every time I buy or steal a horse, it gets killed by bandits. When I came to Skyrim, I had a pet fox, and foxes and horses don't mix well; it was always something. Also, more often than not, I go off-road so I can stay hidden, and a horse isn't really conducive to that. Besides, I lived on my own growing up and spent most of the time in the wilderness, so I'm used to that kind of thing. That being said, I don't mind riding. They know me at the stables, so it won't be a problem to borrow one."

"I see." Blanche suppressed a little chuckle. "Most of the horses in this land are tragically docile, I'll give you that." She got to her feet. "Would you like any of this broth before we go? It will keep you warm on the road, I promise."

"Aye, thank you." Selene accepted a bowl and took a mouthful. "Sweet Mara, this stew is delicious!"

While Blanche went to prepare for the trip, she took the opportunity to catch up with Farkas and get to know the girls.

"Are you and Mama going on a long trip?" Sofie asked as she shoved a spoonful of stew into her mouth.

"Hopefully not too long. I have a little one I want to get home to, too. She's just a year old."

Lucia's face lit up. "A baby? I love babies. We keep telling Ma and Da they should have a baby, but they just grumble and say they can't right now. Well, when can they?"

"We will when _we_ say, not you," Farkas retorted, a spoonful of stew stopping halfway to his mouth.

"Could you bring your baby next time you come to Windhelm?"

"We'll see," said Selene. "I know she'd love to have a couple of aunties to play with. Or maybe you all can come to Riften and see us."

"Uncle Vilkas says Riften is a den of thieves," Sofie informed her. "I told him so was Windhelm, if you know where to look. . . . _Is_ it a den of thieves?"

"Aye. Not a place you want to flaunt your coin purse."

"Silda always said she would teach me to pick pockets. You know how to pick pockets too, don't you, Miz Selene?"

"Enough of that," Farkas grunted, his silvery eyes casting a warning glance in the child's direction.

"Sofie, I think you're trying to get me into trouble," Selene quipped.

"I wouldn't have to try. Da says trouble just finds you."

Farkas blushed. "That wasn't what I said."

"Uh-huh. You said she's really strong and a good fighter and it's a good thing because trouble finds her wherever she goes."

"When Rowan gets big enough to talk, watch what you say," the big man advised Selene. "You never know what's gonna get repeated."

"At least it was something nice you said and not something bad."

"But I would never say anything bad about you, Selene. You know that."

Blanche came into the kitchen, packed and ready to go. She had armed herself in mage robes and a hood, but her boots and gloves were dragonscale, and she had strapped a bow to her back. The bow was unusual, vaguely elven in style but white-gold in color and carved in smooth curves. She also brought two quivers of elven arrows, also bleached white. Her apparel and weapon were a stark contrast to the basic black of Selene's Nightingale armor and bow, the only real break in Selene's all-black theme being her quiver of arrows, which were made of dragon bone.

Farkas got up and wrapped his arms around Blanche, kissing her softly and whispering in her ear. Blanche seemed uncomfortable with the overt display of affection, but she didn't protest, and she took a moment to stroke his cheek. She kissed her children goodbye, was smothered in hugs from everyone, and after Farkas gave Selene a bear hug, they left the house.

"I'm glad you don't mind traveling at night," Selene said as they strolled through the streets of Windhelm. "The sun disappearing is bad for everyone, but I have to admit I'm more comfortable in the dark."

"That makes two of us. I'd rather stay inside than hunt during the day. I don't know about you, but I always feel exposed in daylight."

They reached Windhelm's stables just before sunset, where Selene borrowed a chestnut colt named Brann. She gaped in awe at Blanche's horse—a black mare with eyes that gave off a spooky red light. The mare peered at Selene, sizing her up. Selene offered a hand, and after a moment the horse decided she approved and pressed her nose against her palm.

"Your horse is fantastic. And unusual, to say the least. Where did you come by her?"

"Oh, she was a perk from an old guild I was in," the Redguard replied casually as she rubbed her hands along the horse's shoulders. "I could ask the same of your armor. Very . . . nightly. It's no wonder you like being in the dark. Your body would be nearly invisible if it weren't for your face."

"Oh, I have a hood for that part. I just never wear it unless I'm actively trying to hide." She mounted Brann and settled in as Blanche did the same. "This is the armor of the order I'm a part of. It's not exactly a religious order, but it's essentially the same concept. We have a mission to fulfill, a temple we're sworn to protect. Unfortunately, I can't say anything more than that; we're sworn to secrecy. . . ." She changed the subject. "So tell me about your bow and arrows."

"They're elven make, for one, but you probably knew that." Blanche touched the quiver on her hip. "These arrows are blessed; they cause sun damage, which is about the same as being touched with a hot coal."

"Nice!"

"The ones on my back are poisoned. The bow itself is very old, carried in the past by some elven figurehead. It's one of my favorites. Your bow isn't so commonplace either, is it? Is that a fire enchantment?"

"Aye, it is. Fire is my specialty, I guess, although my sword does shock damage—well, that and extra damage to dragons if I ever fight them up close. I also have two daggers hidden in my boot, one with fire and one with shock. The bow was actually a gift from a dear friend. It's also very old, but I'm not sure how old. It has served me well."

A twinge of—was that fear?—crossed Blanche's scent, but it cooled quickly. "Why fire? Is it a reference to dragons, or . . . ?"

"I once read a story about a man who fashioned his armor in the semblance of a bat because bats frightened him. He basically became the object of his fear, and it made him more intimidating. Fire scares the oblivion out of me. I've been burned more times than I can count, and most of my left shoulder is pretty much melted. Brynjolf has been burned pretty badly, too. I guess I use it for the same reason—plus, it's effective against almost any enemy."

"That's true. Still, I—" She broke off, suddenly more alert and drawing her horse up short. "Wait." After a long pause, she murmured, "We're being followed."

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC

_A/N: This story is a collaboration with __digipup on deviantART_. Be sure to give us a review!


	3. Dragonborns with Fangs 3: The Librarian

Dragonborns with Fangs Three

The Librarian

Selene sniffed the air, but the wind had turned up, and she couldn't get a sense of who or what was behind. She decided to do a little recon, but they needed a hiding place first. Looking ahead, she saw the road curved to the left and was obscured by a rocky slope, and she pointed toward it. "Up there."

When they rounded the bend, she climbed down from her horse. "Go on for a ways and keep Brann with you; just don't go so fast that I can't catch you. I'm going to see if I can find out who it is, and then I'll try to catch up."

Blanche raised a brow. "Yes, my queen." She took the colt's reins and urged her horse onward with a low, "Hyah!"

Selene sighed regretfully as she realized what she had done. It was too late now, though, so she would have to apologize later. She placed her hood on and ducked behind a tree, turning completely invisible in the shadows under the leaves, and backtracked until she came across their pursuers. There were five bandits, making an unsuccessful attempt to be sneaky, as they constantly hissed at each other to be quiet. By their scents, she placed them as three humans (two with similar scents, probably brothers), an orc, and a Dunmer. They smelled of mead and sweat, and one had vomited recently. Selene rolled her eyes and sprinted back to Blanche.

The road curved around again, and she was able to cut across and gain ground. "I'm sorry," she said, pulling back her hood when she caught up with the Redguard, who was still mounted. "I'm used to taking charge, and I just did it without even thinking. I didn't mean to offend."

"I didn't expect Ulfric's power behind the throne to be much different." Blanche smiled wryly. "But sentiments later. What do we have on our plates?"

Selene nodded. "A full meal—five bandits. Evidently they saw two expensively-dressed women on horses in the middle of the night and thought we were easy targets. Should be fun teaching them otherwise."

"Agreed, this should be very fun. Five, you said? There must be twins, because I only guessed four." She skirted past the opportunity for questions and slid down from her horse's back. "We should set up an ambush. We may be night predators, but there will probably be a lot of blind swinging on their parts, and that means the chance of a stupidly bad wound or two. Best to pick off as many as possible, no?"

Selene grinned. "Oh, definitely. Shall we?"

"With pleasure." Blanche took a set of reins in each hand. "I'll get the horses out of the way. You look around for a good place to hide, and I'll be back in a minute."

She led Brann and Shadowmere away, and Selene found a group of fallen boulders next to a slope not too far down the road. One good thing about Winterhold—there were lots of hills, logs, fallen rocks, and evergreens to hide behind. She positioned herself behind one of the rocks and waved Blanche over when she came into view. It wasn't long before the bandits caught up with them. Blanche was right about twins; when they got a bit closer, they could see that two of them were the spitting image of each other. Selene had a soft spot for twins, but it wouldn't save these two. They all carried swords and daggers, but none of them had a bow. Good. She and Blanche could shoot, but the bandits would have to come to them.

"Where in Oblivion did they go?" one of the twins wondered aloud.

Selene trained her arrow on him as Blanche pulled out one of her blessed arrows and also took aim.

"They just got a little farther—" the other twin began, but he was cut off when Blanche's arrow hit him square in the chest. A white glow flashed across his body and he staggered but kept his footing.

Selene let her arrow fly, and her twin went down.

"_No!_" Blanche's twin cried. He and the orc drew swords and started in their direction. The third Nord threw up a ward with one hand, and an orange spark flickered in the other.

Fire again. Lovely.

"I've got the mage," Selene said, firing an arrow in his direction. It hit, but he didn't go down. He threw his fireball, and it struck Selene almost full in the face; she shrieked in pain and fury, and Blanche shied away from the passing blaze. Blanche lowered her bow for a moment and summoned a frost atronach somewhere behind the party, and then whipped her bow back up to aim at the orc. Even when another arrow lodged in his chest, he kept coming. They were getting too close. "Hold your ears," Selene told her. _"Fus . . . ro dah!"_

Blanche's reaction was a little slow, but she managed to save her ears from the bang that sent the bandits flying through the air. Selene was disappointed when they all got up. She had recently re-read the book she had picked up in Apocrypha that augmented her Shouts, specifically Unrelenting Force. It was supposed to be powerful enough to Shout some opponents to pieces, but it hadn't worked this time. Still, they were now a comfortable distance away and right under the bludgeon-like hands of the atronach, and the orc and mage were soon crushed. The Dunmer made his final charge, and Blanche dropped her bow and pelted him with lightning as he found himself stuck between her and the Daedra. Before long, the dark elf died with a pathetic groan.

"That was beautiful," Selene boasted with satisfaction as she dug in her pack for her trusty burn ointment. "But damn that mage . . ."

Blanche agreed with a distracted, "Yeah," as she regained her bearings, casting a sideways glance at the elf's oozing wounds while Selene's back was turned. The frost atronach lumbered over to Selene and leaned its faceless head toward her, as if concerned.

"I'm all right, big fella. Blanche, can you keep an eye out while I treat this burn?"

"Certainly."

While Selene pulled off her cuirass and treated her blistered skin, Blanche went through the bandits' satchels and pouches, pilfering everything and anything of value and recovering what arrows she could.

"At least there was no serious damage," Selene mused, listening to the Redguard's shuffling and shoving of the bodies. "Blisters, I can handle. I've been burned so many times, I'm fairly dripping with fire protection gear. Even my earrings are enchanted with it. My hair used to be down to my arse, but it got burned off. Takes a while to grow back."

"I prefer short hair, myself. Less of a hassle," Blanche grunted. "Sofie and Lucia keep telling me I should let it grow out a little, though." She returned to Selene's side with around fifty septims, a few silver rings, and a ladle, and she held out the surviving dragonbone arrows to Selene. "Those five must have been pretty desperate. There was almost nothing on them."

Selene shook her head sadly at the paltry take, and the frost atronach suddenly despawned with a groan, as if it agreed. "Bandits," she sighed. "They spend all that time and effort chasing, ambushing, fighting, and killing, and they live like little more than beggars. And do you want to know why? It's because they don't know how to pick their targets. Any respectable Thieves Guild member would have taken one look at us and said, 'no way.' Well, aside from the fact that the Guild just doesn't assault innocent travelers on the road in the first place."

"That's true," Blanche agreed. "If you went around assaulting people, you'd get a nasty reputation, like those Summerset Shadows." She sat down on the ground next to Selene. "No surprise they were cleared out after a while. It's not as if you're all very anonymous down in Riften's Ratway, but those elves made more of a nuisance of themselves than your Guild ever did."

"Good, Farkas did tell you I was in the Guild, or you figured it out for yourself." Blanche nodded to this. "Aye, Brynjolf and I were the ones who cleared the Summerset Shadows out." Selene rubbed another dose of the burn ointment into the side of her face and grimaced with discomfort. "You know what? They were living in a cave, no better than bandits. At least we have the decency to live in a sewer." She broke into a sly grin. "You know I'm a Guild member; do you know I'm Guild_master_? That's another reason I'm used to taking charge. But we don't even bother trying to stay anonymous in Riften. All of the guards and most of the jarl's court are in our pockets, so there's no real point. We've also stopped striking in town for the most part. But in any case, the rule is 'keep your blade clean, or else.'"

Blanche smiled lightly. "Guildmaster, too? Why am I not surprised."

A distant memory crossed Selene's mind, and she chuckled. "You know, when I first joined the Companions, Farkas gave me all sorts of grief over my hair—it made a good handhold for an enemy; it was going to get caught on something—and I never listened. The first thing he said when he saw me after my hair was burned off was, 'See? I told ya.' When Vilkas married Lydia, and when it didn't work out between him and Aela, I worried that he would be alone. I'm so glad you've made him happy, Blanche."

Blanche looked away, and did another one of her lip-twitching smiles at Selene's words. "I hope I make him happy."

There was a pause, and Selene shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, so. Do you want to head back to the horses and take a rest?"

The soft look that had flitted across Blanche's amber eyes vanished, and she turned businesslike again. "Yes, let's, but we should keep a watch. Five decently armed bandits with no leader? As if. There may be more nearby." Despite her serious face, she motioned rather comically toward the road with the ladle in her hand.

They went back to the horses, and Selene gathered some wood for a fire, which Blanche lit with a fireball. She sat back as far as possible from the fire, and Selene offered to put it out, but she declined, saying there was no need for them to freeze to death.

"I'll take the first watch," Selene said presently. "I'm tired, but I don't sleep much, and I want to write a letter to Brynjolf."

"All right." Blanche snuggled down into her bedroll and closed her eyes. Almost instantly, her body became still as stone.

_She's an odd one_, Selene thought. Everything about Blanche was subtle. She didn't smile; in fact, she even spoke with her lips pursed together, as though she didn't want her teeth to show. Perhaps she just had really bad teeth; who knew? But it wasn't just the smile. Her facial expression hardly changed at all; she rarely gave more than a turn of the head or a quirk of the brow. Her eyes were more expressive than the rest, but even they showed very little emotion. _Cats_ showed more emotion than Blanche. She didn't talk loudly, either, preferring to speak in little more than a murmur. She was almost the exact opposite of Farkas, who expressed his emotions vividly and loudly. What an unusual pair they made.

Selene sat down next to the fire and dug some paper, quill, and inkwell from her pack, then settled down to write.

Dearest Brynjolf and Rowan,

I miss you both so much. It turns out the events in Eastmarch are pretty serious. Something made the sun disappear from the sky for several hours. I'm reluctant to give any more details in this letter in case it falls into the wrong hands, but just know that I'm not alone in my investigation.

I stopped in to see Farkas and meet Blanche, and she has come along with me. She's mysterious but personable, and she's an excellent fighter; she's an archer and a battlemage. We make a good team. We're on our way to the College of Winterhold to speak with some of the members and see if we can get some answers. I will write you again as soon as it's practical. I love you so much.

Selene

* * *

When Blanche woke, Selene snoozed fitfully for a couple of hours, and then they made their way to Winterhold. They arrived at the college late in the morning. Blanche, unaffected by the frigid cold, called a greeting to one of the villagers and made for the college.

She liked it here. It was one of the few places she felt truly at home. Maybe it was really more faux comfort than anything else; no one here really knew her, and her friends were few, but something about the coolness of temperature and attitude alike kept her at ease . . . maybe it was because she fit in very well. No one bothered her about where she was from or who she even was. Just a calm Redguard. That was all anyone cared about.

As they headed up the ramps and across the bridges, Selene said, "You're familiar with the college, right? I was thinking the best place to start would be Urag, unless you have a better idea."

"Yes . . . if anyone would know, Urag would." As they ascended the stairs to the arcanaeum, she asked, "How often do you visit the college? I haven't seen you here before."

"I've only been here a few times. I came originally to get help from Urag in finding an Elder Scroll, but I also visit Enthir occasionally. He's a friend. More often than not, though, I see him at the Frozen Hearth instead of in the college."

"You were the one that donated the Elder Scroll?" Blanche looked at Selene with renewed interest. "Well, then. I hope you've gotten some privileges here."

"Well, 'donate' isn't the best word to use; Urag paid me pretty well for it. But aye, I'm allowed to use the facilities whenever I need them."

They entered the arcaneum and approached Urag gro-Shub, who sat behind the counter perusing a book. He looked up at them and gave some sort of facial expression; whether it was a grimace or a smile, Blanche could never tell.

"Well, if it isn't the Nightingale. Didn't realize you two knew each other. So, Dragonborn, what brings you to my library this time?"

Blanche looked at Selene once again with her eyebrows raised. _Nightingale, too?_ She had always thought the Nightingales were a myth, but the little Nord didn't correct Urag, so he must have known what he was talking about. _Well, I learn something new every day. _

If she was honest with herself, Blanche wasn't sure whether to like the woman or just regard her on the basis of earned respect. Trust was out of the question, shield-sister or not, but if Farkas liked her, there must be something gold in her. Selene's reputation in Windhelm preceded her, and so far it had proved to be true: she was bold but not brazen, strong but not meaty, gave tongue-lashings if they were deserved, and if one wanted to put it in a negative light, she was the type that naturally bossed others around when she was convinced she was right, regardless of status or relationship. Ulfric never admitted it (and why would he?), but she had been his ruler, and in some ways, she still was. She wondered if Selene was aware of just how much influence she exercised over the High King. Blanche had seen some kindred spirit in her, but . . . it was more in body than mind. This one wasn't afraid of anything. She liked being in the dark, but she didn't care if she was seen and dared enemies to even try to touch her. And if they did, they would lose a hand. And probably their entire body.

"Something happened in Windhelm," Selene was telling Urag, purposefully oblivious to Blanche's eyes on her. "Apparently the sun just disappeared from the sky in the middle of the day and stayed that way for at least several hours. Blanche and I thought a Daedric Prince might be involved, but otherwise we don't have a lot to go on. Whatever it is, it's some powerful magic, so I was—_we_ were—hoping you or the others at the college might have some ideas."

"Hmm, word about that is spreading pretty fast," Urag grunted, closing his book and setting it aside. "Glad it happened there instead of here. I don't think the college would recover if it was held responsible for the sun disappearing." He leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk. "There aren't many books on that—not books I would let you touch, anyway—but I'll tell you one thing: Daedric Princes have a real fondness for having a trademark of some kind. Nocturnal is focused on birds; she even named her cult after them."

"Cult?" Selene echoed, insulted.

He ignored her. "Molag Bal will gladly have anything to do with slaughter of innocents and brutal domination."

Blanche hoped no one noticed her eye twitching at the comment.

"Sheogorath has an obsession with everything royal, from jesters to dinners to food in general. They all have something, but none of them involve blocking out the sun like that."

"So . . . ?" Blanche narrowed her eyes at him.

"So it's magic. _Strong_ magic. Maybe encouraged by a Daedra, but not directly caused by one."

"So somebody's followers are doing it," Selene surmised. "Well, Blanche, now that Urag has let the cat out of the bag, you know I'm a Nightingale. We're bound to Nocturnal. If I didn't know better, I might look there first, but I can assure you we're only three and it's not us." She chuckled uneasily and her cheeks flushed. How odd that a woman of such experience could blush like that . . . "Then again, if it _was_ us, I would say that, wouldn't I? Anyway, what other Daedric 'cults' are out there that like the darkness? Hircine's followers live for the hunt, but I don't know of any werewolves who have that kind of magic. Meridia is probably appalled by the entire thing; Azura has the twilight. Hermaeus Mora has his books, the bastard. He could have blackmailed somebody into doing it, but for what purpose? I could see Sheogorath's people wanting to blot it out if they thought it was funny. I don't know much about the others." She had an idea, and regarded Urag curiously. "Galmar Stone-Fist mentioned vampires, but the High King and I just ignored it. Do vampires worship a Daedric prince?"

"The worst ones do," he muttered. "They're descended from Lamae Bal . . . one of Molag Bal's unwilling lovers."

Selene leaned on the counter, grimacing. "That means we could probably get some help from the Dawnguard . . . but I'd rather yank out my own teeth than involve them, or the Vigilants of Stendarr."

"That makes two of us," Blanche suddenly spoke up. "But then . . ." She looked away, recognizing her outspokenness. "It depends on how many we have to deal with. A few would be nothing to take care of."

"With magic like this? Bah." Urag snorted. "There would probably be a whole nest of them, guarding whatever is giving them that power."

"You're not helping."

"But we wouldn't have to fight them alone," Selene reminded her. "We have the Companions and the Nightingales at our backs, and believe me, the Nightingales are just as good at fighting as they are at stealing. Some of the Guild members are, too. So, other than the Dawnguard . . . I don't suppose either of you know any vampires, do you? I know one who might actually be able to help us. She's a mage, too—it's Sybille Stentor, the court mage in Solitude, and she's a friend. She does her best to pass for human, but she keeps pretty close tabs on the vampire community. We might talk to her."

"I have met a few vampires," Blanche murmured uneasily, "Sybille included. I would suggest asking her, but she lives on the other side of Skyrim. Still, I don't think we have many other options, do we?"

"In the meantime, Urag, could you look through what books you have and see if there is any history of this happening before? Or maybe some obscure writings on the subject?"

"Mm-hmm," Urag grunted. "Enjoy yourselves. And Blanche, where is that book I told you to find?"

"A dragon incinerated it."

_"What?"_

It was mean, but Blanche got just a bit of perverse joy at the unmistakable look on Urag's face. There was no debating his expression now. "Or not." She pulled a tattered old book with several strange symbols and lettering etched into the cover from her satchel and held it out to him. "There, safe and sound."

"It had better be," he snapped, grabbing it away and giving her a withering look. "I wouldn't put it past you to feed it to a horker for fun."

"I am not that cruel. Don't get your topknot in a twist."

He gave her a good view of his back as he stalked away.

"Anyway . . ." Blanche turned back to Selene.

"Let me just change my letter to Brynjolf. I want to tell him where we're going, and I'll ask him and Karliah to talk to Nocturnal as well." She went to a table, took out her letter, and began adding something to the bottom.

While Selene wrote, Blanche went to barter with Faralda, who sat in a nook studying a lengthy tome, for some scrolls. When she finished with Faralda, she looked up to see Selene just heading back to the desk, where Urag was paging carefully through the book Blanche had given him. "One more thing, Urag, if you don't mind," the Nord said with an appealing smile. The pitch of her voice was just a bit higher, and Blanche could have sworn she batted her eyes at the old orc. "Can you give this to Enthir and ask him to make sure it gets to Brynjolf? I hope it's not too much to ask; I want to get started right away."

"Oh, very well," Urag groaned, taking the proffered bit of paper and sticking it into one of his books.

Selene smiled up at Blanche, who had her characteristic eyebrow lifted again. "All right, then. Are you ready?"

"Yes. To Solitude, then." On the way out of the library, she snatched up a book and tucked it into her satchel when Urag wasn't paying attention.

Selene gave her a wry look. "He's gonna think _I_ took that. You know that, right?"

Blanche smiled calmly. "Yes, I know."

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC


	4. Dragonborns with Fangs 4: Home Invasion

Dragonborns with Fangs Four

Home Invasion

"So I threw the witch's head into the fire, and there was this big explosion, and my body hurt all over," said Farkas. He sat in a chair by Sofie's bed, where she and Lucia sat side by side. Their beloved dog Arbuth lay between the girls' feet, also gazing up as though he was just as interested in the tale as Lucia and Sofie. Vix, Sofie's pet fox, was curled up at the end of the bed. Every once in a while, she gave a short grunt as if she thought Farkas was just making the story up.

"Why did it hurt?" Sofie asked, big-eyed.

"Because my wolf spirit was fighting me. He didn't want to leave, and I had to force him out, and . . . well, it hurt."

"But you did," Lucia prompted him.

"Aye, I did. He came out and stood before me, this big, blue wolf that I could see right through. He was almost as tall as me, and we had to fight it."

Sofie gasped. "Weren't you scared?"

"Sure, but I had your Ma with me."

"Because being brave doesn't mean you're not scared."

"Right." Farkas smiled as Lucia stated his favorite lesson. "It means that you keep fighting even _if_ you're scared. I was more afraid when we had to fight your Ma'swolf spirit."

"How come?"

"Because it was trying to kill her, and I didn't want to lose her."

"But you defeated it in the end," Lucia alleged confidently.

"You bet we did. Both of them."

Sofie rubbed Arbuth's back with her feet. "Miz Selene is a werewolf, isn't she?"

Farkas feigned shock. "Why would you say that, Sofie?"

"Because all the Companions are werewolves!" Lucia interjected. "That's what Brenuin said."

"You'd believe the word of the town drunk over your own Pa?" The girls looked back at him, their eyes wide and trusting. He didn't last long against those faces. "Not all the Companions are werewolves," he sighed, "but aye, some are. You'll have to ask Miz Selene yourself."

"So she is_,_ then, and you just don't want to tell us," said Sofie.

Farkas groaned audibly. He hated it when the girls got the better of him. They were smarter than he was, and they knew it.

"Papa, why didn't _you_ want to be a werewolf? Are they bad?"

Farkas shrugged. "No, they're not bad. It's complicated."

Lucia glared at her father. "Papa, we're almost ten years old, and both of us grew up on the streets. If we can stand to hear about how you defeated your werewolf, we can know the rest."

"You really want to know this stuff?"

"Aye!" both girls squealed.

"All right, all right. See, the wolf spirit is strong within the werewolf, and they can't always control their temper or the need to hunt. Sometimes a werewolf might do bad things because they just can't help it. They're not evil, just . . . wild. Also, werewolves are bound to the Daedric Lord Hircine; and when they die, instead of going to Sovngarde, they go to his Hunting Grounds."

Sofie nodded slowly, taking in the information, while Lucia prodded for more. "Did you ever bad things when you were a werewolf?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

The girls looked at each other and shook their heads. "What about Mama?" said Sofie.

"She'll have to tell you that story herself. Now, off to bed with you two."

Lucia groaned. "But we're not tired!"

"Maybe not, but I am." He kissed each of them on the forehead. "Goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight, Papa." Lucia wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Night," Sofie said, already closing her eyes.

Farkas blew out the candles and left the girls in the dark, stopping at the door to look back one last time. He was always reluctant to leave them at night, and he'd even taken to going back into their room once in a while to make sure they were breathing. He had never imagined he could love anyone so much. Sure, he loved Vilkas, but that was different. They were a part of each other, they always had been, and always would be. Nothing could compare to the overwhelming joy he felt when he was with Blanche and the girls. He would do anything to make sure they were safe and happy.

He went upstairs and read for a while, struggling through _A Brief History of the Empire_ as best he could. He wasn't a very good reader, but Blanche was, and although she never demanded anything of him, Sofie and Lucia had insisted that he practice to get better at it (and so that he could read to them), so he read anything he could get his hands on. But by the Nine, this stuff was boring! Farkas liked fiction better, action-packed stories of battles and adventures that kept his interest much longer than all these dates and facts. It wasn't long before they started to blur together, and he found himself nodding off.

He undressed, threw his clothes on the floor, and then blew out the candles and lay in the dark; but as soon as the lights were out, his eyes flew open. It was weird, not being able to see anything in the dark anymore, and he turned onto his side uncomfortably. He missed Blanche. Between her enchanting work and her business in Solitude and Winterhold's college, she was a busy woman, and he knew she had to travel a lot, but he stilldidn't sleep as well when she was gone. If he reached out, he could almost feel her soft skin and taste her lips. But it wasn't to be. Not tonight. He just hoped she wasn't gone too long. Exhaustion finally took over, and he drifted off to sleep with her name on his breath.

* * *

Farkas sensed the change in the air rather than the footsteps that crept into the bedroom. For a moment, he thought it was the girls, but then his warrior's senses took over and he realized that whoever it was, they were much bigger than a couple of ten-year-old girls. His first thought was that Arbuth hadn't barked. The mutt was usually a good watchdog; what had happened? Farkas reached a hand under the bed for his sword.

"I wouldn't," said a male voice.

_Screw that,_ he thought, and he grabbed the weapon and rolled out of bed, on his feet in a second. In the early morning light that streamed in through the windows, he could see four of them, three Nords and an orc, all heavily armored with cuirasses of leather augmented with steel plates and heavy buckles, and all wielding greatswords and axes. One of the Nords had a crossbow, which was trained on him.

No problem whatsoever. He could take these bastards, even in his loincloth.

Until the orc said the magic words. "We have your daughters."

As if to prove the point, Sofie's scream rang up the stairs. "_Papa!_"

Farkas's heart wrenched in his chest. "You harm one hair on their heads, and I'll make you wish you were never even born."

"Where is the vampire?" the orc, who seemed to be the leader, demanded, ignoring the threat.

"What vampire?"

"Don't play coy with me, Companion. We know you have a vampire living under this roof. Now, where is she?"

He glared. "You're mistaken."

"You know he won't talk like this," the Nord with the crossbow said.

"Then he's coming with us."

"If you think I'm going anywhere with you—"

"We'll kill your daughters if you don't cooperate."

"You'd kill two little girls? What kind of sick bastards are you?"

_"Where is the vampire!"_ the orc roared.

"I told you there's no vampire here!" Farkas attacked, but the orc parried his blade and advanced on him, swinging his greatsword. Farkas ducked beneath it and spun around, slicing at the soldier's side, but the blade bounced off the steel plates. "Gods damn it," he snarled. Blanche's magic enchantments had always made him uneasy, but right now he wished this sword had one.

"For Stendarr's sake, don't kill him!" one of the others warned. "We need him."

"If you think I'm gonna let you take me alive-"

Lucia screamed, and there was a loud thump, like the sound of a child falling to the floor.

"Cooperate and we won't harm the girls. Resist and they die. Now, drop your weapon."

Farkas gripped the hilt so tightly his hand hurt, resistant to letting it go. He had never surrendered in his life, and every fiber of his being told him not to do so now. But when he thought of what would happen to the girls if he fought, especially if they managed to kill him, he knew he had no choice. He released the sword, and it clattered to the floor.

The soldiers were on him in a second, wrestling him to the floor and binding his hands behind his back, then pulling him up roughly.

"We can't take him out of here in nothing but his loincloth," the Nord with the crossbow argued.

The leader pressed the point of his greatsword against Farkas's throat. "We'll untie your hands so you can dress, but before you see this as an opportunity, just remember what's at stake. Say it."

"All right, all right! I won't fight!" They untied his hands, and he threw on the clothes and boots he'd tossed there the night before, wishing he had some opportunity to conceal a weapon or even an enchanted ring. But with a set of eyes watching from every angle, there was none.

"Now. Hands behind your back."

He put his hands behind his back, and they tied him up again and pushed him out of the room and down the stairs. Three other soldiers were on the ground floor, waiting with the girls, who were bound and gagged. Arbuth lay just beyond them in a pool of blood, a crossbow bolt protruding from his ribs. Farkas looked around for Vix, but the little fox was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully she was hiding.

"Papa!" Lucia cried through the gag.

"Just do what they say, girls, and they won't hurt you. Don't worry, I'll get us out of this."

"Gag him too," the leader ordered, and one of the others stuffed a cloth in his mouth and yanked in a knot behind his head. As they herded him and the girls toward the door, the leader said, "Search the place; dig up anything you can on where she went. Tear this place apart if you have to."

The town guards were conspicuously absent as the soldiers dragged them through Windhelm. Even the ones at the gate were missing. Farkas wondered if they were away intentionally or if these men had taken them out. Who in Oblivion _were_ these people? Were they the Dawnguard? The Vigilants of Stendarr? They had mentioned the Divine upstairs . . . Blanche had never expressed fondness for Stendarr, and Farkas was beginning to share her sentiments as the soldiers forced them into the back of a carriage. The girls huddled close to him; but tied and gagged as he was, Farkas couldn't offer anything to comfort them. He glared at the orc, who had sat across from him, his wary eye fixed on every move the three prisoners made.

Dawnguard, Vigilants, whoever. Farkas didn't care who they were. All he cared about was his family. If these people hurt his girls or his wife, he swore to the Nine, he would gleefully kill them slowly and painfully.

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC


	5. Dragonborns with Fangs 5: Surprise

Dragonborns with Fangs Five

Surprise

Blanche and Selene had restocked their food supplies and made it out of Winterhold by noon. The sky behind them threatened a snowstorm, but if they moved quickly they would probably be able to outrun it, so they rode hard for a while. When it looked like they were south of the storm line, they slowed to give the horses a break. Deciding to rest in the evening and ride through the night, they stopped just north of Windhelm and made camp. They were close enough to town that Selene thought Blanche might want to stay at Hjerim for the night, but she shook her head.

"It is hard on them when I leave. I would rather not put them through it again so soon."

Selene munched on dried venison and cheese, washing it down with a bottle of Black-Briar Reserve. She watched as Blanche picked gingerly at her food.

"You don't eat much," she noted. "So what's your story, Blanche? You're so mysterious; curiosity is killing me. I don't bite, you know. Come on, I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. I'll even start. I was born in Whiterun, orphaned at five, lived at Honorhall Orphanage 'til I was ten, and spent the rest of my childhood sneaking around Cyrodiil and learning to be a thief. I came back to Skyrim the day Helgen fell." She stopped and thought back for a moment, took a long drink of mead, then murmured, "Boy, was _that_ a big day."

"Considering you were part of the Companions' Inner Circle, I'd think you _do_ bite," Blanche replied, in good humor but with just a hint of cynicism. She stuck her teeth into her piece of bread and gnawed on it unbecomingly. "I don't try to act secretive; I just don't have much to say. Unless you ask, of course." She twitched up her eyebrows briefly. "I was raised nomadically on the borders of Skyrim. I was sort of . . . dragged into civilization by the Imperials. My first taste was their prison, for robbing a traveling caravan of nobles." She gave up on the bread and put it aside. "Life here is different, but it is better. There are things hiding in every crack and crevice, waiting to be found. Very . . ." She hesitated, searching for the right word. ". . .addicting."

She shook her head and changed the subject yet again. "Tell me about the World-Eater, Alduin. Was he everything he is said to be?" She peered at Selene from under her hood.

"He was." Selene shuddered. "He was huge, and black, and powerful, and he could do things no other dragon could do. I couldn't defeat him on this plane; I actually had to go to Sovngarde to fight him, but you probably already knew that; word gets around, right? They said he could devour the souls of the dead, and until I saw him do it, I couldn't imagine it was true. Imagine being dead, actually in Sovngarde and thinking you're on your way to eternal redemption, and then a monster swoops down in the mist and eats you. What happens then? Are you just nothing? Does your soul live inside Alduin the way the dragons' souls live inside me? Blanche, it's . . . chilling. I _still_ have nightmares about it once in a while." She opened another bottle of mead and took a swig. "But even he could be defeated eventually, much to his surprise. I think it was his arrogance that finally got him—well, that and the Dragonrend shout. I'm just glad I didn't absorb _his_ soul. That's a presence I do not want in my head."

"Hmm." Blanche shifted and readjusted in her seat. "Sometimes I wonder why that dragon did what he did. He was the 'World-Eater,' but why? Why bother eating it? Just because he can?" She chuckled drily. "If it all went away, he wouldn't have any more humans to enslave, and what would happen to Sovngarde? Would he be eating that, too? It'd be suicide." She let her eyes drift back to the fire. "What happens to everything, anyway, if the world were to end? Maybe a new one would start and we'd all be reborn."

"That's what the Graybeards thought. This world would end and a new one would begin."

Blanche thought for a moment, then said, "Sometimes I catch myself pitying him. Don't get me wrong, I know he would have killed me without a second thought and I'm very glad he's gone, but . . . he was the firstborn of Akatosh. An immortal dragon. And he was defeated by a _human_." She smiled darkly. "I don't think a dragon would easily live that down."

Selene chuckled mirthlessly. "Trust me, if you'd met him, you wouldn't pity him. No, I think if he was in my head, I would go utterly and incurably mad." She folded her hands together. "I've encountered evil before, but never so complete. Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, Namira, all these stories you hear, and they have nothing on Alduin."

Their nighttime reverie was rudely interrupted when, almost as if summoned by the conversation, the scream of a dragon rang over their heads. It was echoed by another, lower one, and an ancient dragon landed heavily on a rocky spike jutting from the ground some fifty yards away. The gust from his wings practically extinguished their fire, and it blew Blanche's hood back and took all of Selene's hair out of her face. _"Norok nivahrii,_" it bellowed, malice glittering its eyes. _"Wo ru ko rahgol_!"

The other dragon—smaller, slimmer, a female—hovered nearby just long enough to add, "_Ahrk dovahkiin, quahnaarin, kriid se Alduin!" _With a flap of her wings, she looped up to a higher altitude, circling over the party below.

Selene reached for her bow and stood up, but she didn't attack, and stared down the dragons as she spoke softly to Blanche. "They know who I am. They also said something about someone running in rage, but I haven't a clue what that means." Louder, she called to the dragons. "_Fahdon uv_ _paal_? Friend or foe?"

Blanche wordlessly drew her bow and coolly eyed the dragons.

_"Paak, paak, Dovahkiin,"_ the landed dragon scolded sardonically. "To have allegiance, _mirr_, with your cowardly sister. Her voice must be silenced."

"What in Nirn are you talking about?" Selene yelled back. Blanche, however, curled her lip as rage suddenly permeated her scent. "Go to Sithis!" She pulled an arrow back and zinged it straight into the dragon's eye. The arrow gave off a white light as it struck, and the dragon screeched in pain. "_Munax nivarii!" _It took to the air, clearly intending to fight, and so did its mate, who swooped down and breathed out a lungful of frost.

_"Joor zah frul!"_ Selene shouted at the female as she hovered. The blast hit her hard, and she screamed, attempting to make her escape but failing and crashing to the ground. Selene drew an arrow, aimed, and shot again, taking a brief second when she reached for another arrow to glance around and check on Blanche. The Redguard was a fighter, but Selene didn't know if she could take down a dragon by herself, especially one so old. She prayed she knew what she was doing.

Blanche was taking on the other dragon furiously. It had landed again to fight her on the ground, but she had summoned another frost atronach, which was taking the worst of the dragon's wrath while she pelted the wyrm with arrow after sun-blessed arrow and hid in the atronach's bulky shadow when the dragon attempted to breathe a wave of flame over her.

Satisfied that Blanche was holding her own against her dragon, she turned, aimed, and shot again. The dragon spat frost at her, and she dodged as best she could, but she took the brunt of it. As a Nord she was resistant to cold, but getting hit with a full blast of Frost Breath was still not her idea of a good time. Her Thu'um had recharged, so she shouted again, _"Joor zah frul!"_ The dragon shrieked and seized up, collapsing as Selene pincushioned her with another couple of arrows. Her body began to flame as her soul merged with Selene's.

As she sank into her consciousness, she chuckled coldly. _"You are about to get a surprise, Dovahkiin."_

"Show her, _Nivahrii_!" Blanche's dragon snarled, spitting flame at her again and ending her atronach's incarnation. "Show her your true nature!"

She ducked behind a rock and sent out her last arrow. "With your death!"

The dragon had almost seemed to welcome his demise, and he gave up his last breath and died. Of course, his body began to burn, and his soul departed; but it went into Blanche, who lowered her bow and stood motionless, eyes narrowed as the spirit flowed into her.

Selene watched, agape with shock, as Blanche absorbed the dragon's soul. Her mind went briefly back to Miraak, who had appeared several times and taken souls from her. But Blanche was no long-dead Dragonborn trying to return to the world of the living. She was flesh and blood, Redguard, archer, possibly an assassin—Selene wasn't sure, but the _Sithis_ comment nagged at her—and married to her oldest friend. And . . . Dragonborn? She couldn't be. Selene had entertained the possibility that she wasn't the only one, especially after Miraak had surfaced, but she supposed she had never really believed it. She _still_ couldn't believe it. She stood speechless for a long moment, astonished, unable to form the simplest of words.

"Uh, Blanche?" she murmured, finally finding her voice. "Is . . . is there something you want to tell me?"

"Yes, I used all of my sunhallowed arrows on that damn thing."

Selene narrowed her eyes at the Redguard, snapped out of stupor by the blatant diversion. "You know what I'm talking about. Those dragons knew you. They called you a coward. And then you—you absorbed that one's soul! What in Oblivion, Blanche! Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I think I deserve to know. Are you Dragonborn?"

"_No_, I studied with the _Graybeards_ since I was a little girl. Of course I'm Dragonborn!" she sneered. "I have the voices in my head; the new one is laughing now. I speak their language, and I know their insults."

Selene could only pace back and forth, trying to make sense of it all. Blanche had asked about Alduin; the dragons had called her a coward. How had they known? Did they have some kind of network like all the town guards seemed to have? Or could they somehow smell it in her? "When did you find out? _How_ did you find out? Do the Graybeards know?"

"I killed a dragon." Blanche shrugged. "Probably the same way you found out, no? The Graybeards know." She blinked uneasily. "But that shouldn't affect you."

"How do you figure? It does affect me—it _did_ affect me. Damn those Graybeards; they didn't even tell me! I asked Master Arngeir directly if I was the only one, and he gave me this vague crap about not knowing everything. Well, let me guess: those dragons called you a coward because you chose to sit this one out, let the _other_ Dragonborn fight Alduin. Well, a little help would have been nice, you know! I put my entire life on hold, dragged my poor husband all over Skyrim half a dozen times—I even dragged _your_ husband around Skyrim once or twice—we were all almost killed more times than I can count. How could the Graybeards not tell me there was another one?" Tears began streaming down her cheeks, and she asked, "Why, Blanche? Just tell me that. Why?" She sat down on the ground in the great shadow of the dragon's skeleton and sobbed.

Blanche backed away, a small hiss emitting from the back of her throat; but when Selene's anger turned to despair, her hackles lowered a little. "Don't blame the Graybeards. I told them to leave me alone, forget me, on the promise that I wouldn't join the Blades." Her lip twitched slightly at the words. "What would you have done if they had told you? Track me down? Demand my help? You would have been disappointed." She put up her hood and went to pull one of her broken arrows out of the skeleton behind Selene. "You get the glory, and you get the credit. You might call yourself one with the shadows, but that isn't really true. You're the one everyone will remember."

"I don't care about that. I've _never_ cared about that. The attention I get makes me uncomfortable. I've had people kneel before me like I was a queen or a . . . or a goddess. That's just too big a weight to put on somebody's shoulders. And even the ones who don't say anything still look at me in awe. Maybe that's why I'm so good at hiding in the shadows. Because then they can't see what I am. I wouldn't have _demanded_ your help, but aye, I would have asked for it. There were times I was so tired . . ."

Selene got up abruptly, wiped her eyes, and began to loot the dragon. She and Blanche each wrestled one bone and scale from it; and Selene found a rather large amount of gold, half of which she handed to Blanche, who accepted it without a word. Then she walked back over to the fire and sat down, dug in her pack for a handkerchief and blew her nose. When she discarded the rag, she picked up her bottle of mead and chugged it. "Well, I wanted to know more about you. I guess I should be careful what I wish for, eh? I need some sleep. Can you take first watch?"

"Anytime," Blanche agreed quietly. After a moment's pause, she grasped the ribcage of the dragon and nimbly climbed to the top, where she settled into a groove of its spine for a good view. There she perched, her eyes reflecting the glow of the firelight.

Selene dozed fitfully for a few hours, her wolf spirit restless after she had gotten so upset. Still a bit antsy, she got up to relieve Blanche. When they finally broke camp and got back on the road, she was quiet and pensive, still trying to sort it in her mind.

_Maybe Blanche didn't know about me, either, at first,_ she thought._ Then when she found out, well, I had already taken up the job, hadn't I? Maybe she thought I wouldn't like her butting in._ Even with this possibility, Selene she imagined it all came down to fear. _I mean, she must have been terrified—_I _certainly was. But does hiding from the World-Eater make her a coward? Perhaps, but I'm not so sure. What would I have done if Kynareth hadn't come to me? _

After several hours of silence, she said, "I get it, you know. If I'd had a choice, I'd probably have done the same thing. I put it off as long as I could, as it was. I was nineteen, a rogue, cynical and rebellious—or so I liked to think, anyway. But I had a Divine whispering in my ear, and she wouldn't leave me alone."

Blanche laughed, a little bitterly. "I envy you. I'm fairly certain the Divines wash their hands after even thinking of me. I worshipped Dibella once, but not anymore."

"I'd like to say, 'oh, you're wrong about that,' but I have to admit it's nice to have Kynareth as an ally. She gave me direction when I needed it and even got me through some rough times by dropping hints about my future. Haven't seen her in a while, though. I must be doing what she wants me to do."

"I see." Blanche was quiet for another few moments and then added, "But I did some thinking last night – you have every right to be finished with me after we part ways." She gave her a sideways glance. "I owe you more than I have to give."

Selene waved a dismissive hand. "You're here, helping me resolve this disappearing sun business. That's good enough for me. Or did you have something else in mind?"

"Eh, no," Blanche replied quickly, "Nothing in mind, just . . . just a thought."

They rode all night, talking little as they tried to make better time. As they neared the border between The Pale and Hjaalmarch, Selene stretched and yawned. "I could use a break. Do you want to make camp or stop at the Moorside Inn for the day? Or we could use the Circle's mine. It's not too far off the path, and I still have a key. Better than camping in the snow again, and nobody has to keep watch."

"I haven't been to the Circle's mine in a while. Let's stop there this time."

They made their way to the abandoned mine, which the Companions' Inner Circle often used as a base when hunting in beast form, and Selene let them in. Locking the door behind them, they went down the main shaft to a little living area with a fire pit, bedrolls, and a supply of dried food, mead, and water—or rather ice, which could be melted over the fire. Selene couldn't ever remember eating any of the food; they usually ate whatever they hunted. Still, this time it came quite in handy. There were fresh logs on the fire pit; a quick _"Yol"_ ignited them, and soon the two were relaxing with food and drinks.

Selene didn't talk to Blanche about the first time she had been in the mine, but she couldn't help thinking about it. It was her first full moon, and she was with Farkas. Their relationship, previously a tense friendship at most, had taken a turn that night; and they had launched into steamy affair that had spanned several months. There had been no love; they had strictly been friends with benefits, and they had parted amicably.

Aloud, she chuckled. "Here we are, two women, traveling alone together for days, and we haven't really talked about the men. How'd you and Farkas get together? Or is that too personal?"

Blanche had settled down on her bedroll with her legs crossed and sat with an arm on each knee, staring into the fire. She smiled a little more genuinely than she usually did when Selene mentioned Farkas.

"Oh, him. That's certainly not too personal; Vilkas would gladly tell you the story if you asked him." She clasped her hands together and leaned a little closer to the fire. "When I joined the Companions some three, four years ago—not long after you left, actually—Farkas and Aela had just split. He kept more to himself and Vilkas after that." She blinked once. "But he saw me. According to Vilkas, he watched me whenever I walked through the room. I'm sorry to say I was a little more airheaded then and didn't notice."

Selene smiled. "And Vilkas pointed it out to you? Talos bless him. As gruff as he is, and as private, he certainly worries a lot about his loved ones' relationships. I think that for the longest time, he just didn't know how to be happy, and it made him feel better when other people were."

"He sort of played matchmaker, though he did it more for his brother than for me, especially after he and Lydia were married. I actually annoyed him most of the time." She gave one of her brief twitch-smiles. "I've always loved exploring and had a habit of disappearing for days on end; that annoyed him too. But when I ended up meandering around Riften, Maramal put the childish fantasy of getting married into my head." She cleared her throat. "Where I was raised, marriage was . . . nonexistent. The idea that two would go through a ceremony—which in my mind was much more taboo than it really was—and stay together until death was remarkable to me. So I wanted to try it." She snorted. "And Maramal got an extra sack of coins for a shiny new amulet."

"Well, Farkas is a catch, and I'm glad to see him so happy." Selene smiled. "Honestly, I'm glad to see you adopted Sofie, too. I used to go by her stand and buy up every flower she had whenever I was in Windhelm. I felt so sorry for the kid. I thought about adopting her once or twice, myself; but Brynjolf and I were so busy with the Guild, and then Alduin, and then Miraak, that we wouldn't have been good parents. Then I got pregnant and . . ." Selene's voice trailed off and she didn't finish the sentence.

"Be glad." Blanche buried her teeth into a piece of bread and tore a bite out with a vengeance, and then grimaced slightly and spat the piece into the fire. "We adopted her and Lucia because I am infertile. I couldn't have my own children if I wanted to."

"Blanche, I'm so sorry." Selene sat quietly for a moment, and a tear slid down her cheek. "Gods damn it, every time we stop to rest, I end up crying. Next time I want to talk about personal stuff, remind me of that, okay?"

Blanche smiled lightly. "All right, but don't cry for me this time. Everyone has a price to pay; this is mine. And even so, it means two fewer children that would inevitably have ended up starving or freezing to death on the streets. But enough about me. Tell me about you. You're a Companion, a Nightingale, the good Dragonborn, Ulfric Stormcloak's obsession, and forgive me if I am wrong but all things considered, I'm willing to guess you're a prize hound of Hircine's. Is there anything else you've accomplished?" A mischievous light slipped through her eyes.

Selene chuckled, forcing herself out of her melancholy. "Don't forget Guildmaster. Jeez, you make me sound like an overachiever! But I am _not_ Ulfric Stormcloak's—well, okay, I guess you're right, Divines bless him. Aye, I am a werewolf, but I don't know how happy Hircine is with me. I think Kynareth told him and Nocturnal my soul was my own and I could go where I wanted when I died. Honestly, I'm still not sure. I may actually _want_ to go to the Hunting Grounds.

"Okay, you'll love this one: I'm Hermaeus Mora's favorite, too, Divines help me. That one is not voluntary, believe me. There was another Dragonborn named Miraak; that's what I was doing on Solstheim while you and Farkas got married. He was trapped in Mora's realm and was trying to get back to Nirn. I helped get rid of him, the bastard. I, uh . . . Rowan is a twin, and I lost her sibling. Miraak was responsible for my miscarriage. I'd like to say he got what he deserved in the end, but I can't think of a punishment severe enough for him. Anyway, Mora made a big deal out of it, saying I was his champion. I just ignore him."

She took a sip of her mead. "I'd like to say that of all that, my biggest accomplishment is finally being able to settle down with my husband and my daughter and live a quiet life, but here we are, no?"

"Here we are indeed," Blanche murmured. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who has doubts about where I'll go when my time is up." She folded her hands together and placed them in her lap. "Sovngarde is for the brave and the good, of which I am neither. I lost my faith in the Divines some time ago. Really, I'd rather not die at all." Her tone turned musing. "I wonder what happens to our dragons' souls when we die. Do they go with us? Disappear? Or are they separated from us to haunt the same plane we're doomed to?"

Selene cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Now, there is something I never considered. Perhaps by helping us, they earn their rest, too. Or maybe they go to the Void like all the other cursed. But I have to ask: why do you say you're not brave and good? I can understand having doubts about your courage over Alduin, but you certainly didn't run and hide when we were attacked yesterday. And you took those two little girls off the street and brought them into your home. If that's not good, I don't know what is. Frankly, it's pretty brave, too. Did you see what they were doing to Farkas's hair before we left the other day?"

Blanche snickered. "They love his hair. That man is the most patient, longsuffering one I have ever seen." She sighed, and her expression melted back into its usual, neutral mood. "I have done . . . terrible things." She spoke slowly, as if admitting each word was a choice she didn't like making. "_Terrible_ things. Maybe I try to make up for them with what I do now. Maybe it's all a facade and I don't even realize it. Am I even alive, or did my spirit leave me long ago?" Her lips pressed together in a firm line. "But it doesn't matter, really. All that matters is their well-being. If they're content, then so am I."

"The Divines forgive, Blanche. I'm sure of it. I'm not saying to run right out to the temple and start praying, but don't lose all your faith. We've all done terrible things and probably will again. We just have to do the best we can, _when_ we can. I know you're not just talking about killing bandits on the road, but just know you're not alone." She finished her mead and then gave the Redguard a broad smile. "You know what? I like you, Blanche. I haven't been sure until now, but I really like you. Once in a while, you remind me of myself a few years ago. Are you ready to get some sleep? Or try to, at least. I don't sleep much."

The twitchy little smile crossed Blanche's face again. "Thank you." She nibbled a little more of her bread, and then put it back into her satchel. "Sure. I think we could both go for some uninterrupted sleep tonight."

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC


	6. Dragonborns with Fangs 6: Once Bitten

Dragonborns with Fangs Six

Once Bitten

Brynjolf and Karliah stood by the font in the Twilight Sepulcher, preparing to summon their Lady Nocturnal. They had already known about the sun's disappearance before receiving Selene's letter, but until now, they hadn't acted on what they had learned. Even after hearing from Selene, Brynjolf was skittish about summoning the Daedric Prince, preferring not to draw attention to himself and the others. He had made his commitment and would honor it, but the thought of lingering as a ghost in the Sepulcher until Nocturnal decided he had fulfilled his contract scared him. There was no set amount of time, just Nocturnal's whim. What if, when they called on her, she decided to extend the contract as payment for her inconvenience? What if she _never_ let him out of his contract? He would just float around the Sepulcher for all eternity. And if she _did_ end it, what then? He would become nothing more than a shadow. Would he be conscious? Would he know what was happening to him? And would he care?

Ultimately, he decided that the best course of action would be to stay alive as long as possible. Antagonizing a Daedric Prince did not fit within that plan.

"Brynjolf," Karliah said sharply, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Are you with me?"

"Aye, sorry. Let's get this over with."

Karliah raised her hands to the Evergloam and called, "Lady Nocturnal, we call upon you during this troubled time to beg for your assistance. If it please you, appear before us now."

At first, nothing happened, and Brynjolf wondered if the Daedric Prince had felt they weren't worth her time. Karliah had said Nocturnal was happy with them, but how could she really know? It wasn't like she and the Daedra spent a lot of time in the Sepulcher chatting over tea. And even if she _was_ happy with them, perhaps she wouldn't like being summoned like a common atronach.

After a moment, though, a swirl of blue light rushed before them and a flock of black birds emerged from the font, flying up through the shaft and into the night above. The lady herself rose out of the font a moment later, subtly glorious in her robes with plunging neckline and high-slit skirt. Her delicate toes curled and flexed on the surface of the font, and her arms extended to hold two nightingales, who peered down at Brynjolf and Karliah curiously.

"Well, look who decided to pay a visit. You seem to be missing someone."

"She is away," Karliah said, "investigating the phenomenon—"

"'Phenomenon,'" Nocturnal repeated with a chuckle. "Interesting way to phrase it. The sun's disappearance caused quite the stir, no?" She looked down at Brynjolf, her dark eyes boring into his soul. "Frightened, are we, Brynjolf? Or do you always look that pale?"

He didn't answer. Instead he said, "My lady, we were hoping you might help us learn the source of the phe—uh, you know. Is it a spell perhaps?"

"As thieves, I would think you would appreciate the darkness more. Spell or not, the sun returned, did it not? All is well now. So why are you wasting my time?"

"We want to find the cause," Karliah told her, "so that we might prevent it from happening in the future. Yes, we appreciate the darkness, but even a thief must walk in the light sometime."

"And yet your werewolf walks with the darkness."

"What does that mean?" Brynjolf asked. "I don't understand."

"The disappearance of the sun was an isolated incident; you need not concern yourself with it. Besides, it is not the darkness you should fear; it is the light. Even now, Stendarr's faithful strive to bring those they believe to be wicked into the light. The god himself knows that for there to be light, there must be darkness. For there to be Divine, there must be Daedra. Even the shadows have their place. But the Vigilants and their pesky offshoot, the Dawnguard, would seek to eliminate _all_ shadows, and the balance they provide."

"But what does this have to do with us?"

"Until now, the Dawnguard has concentrated their forces on fighting vampires. But the vampires' numbers are waning and they have begun to broaden their scope. As with the Vigilants before them, all Daedra worship is considered suspect. Even my sisters who walk in the light are not immune to their ministrations. Azura's shrine has been defaced and her priestess brutally murdered. It will not be long before they turn their sights on the Twilight Sepulcher and you, my faithful. As my agents, you have long walked the line between light and dark, between good and evil. It is a thin, blurry line, and when Selene returns, that line will blur even more. You must be ready."

"Ready for what?" Karliah asked.

"For war." With that, the light began to swirl about Nocturnal again, and she sank back into the font. The flock flew back down the shaft and followed her to the Evergloam.

When the Sepulcher was quiet again, Brynjolf looked down at Karliah, who was staring up at him, her violet eyes wide with concern. "Guess we got more than we bargained for, lass."

"Speaking with the immortals produces unexpected results."

"What did she mean, Selene walks with darkness? We're always saying 'walk with the shadows,' but somehow I don't think that's what she was saying."

"Perhaps, but it is her way to be cryptic."

"Well, she's being cryptic about my wife. And telling us to prepare for war wasn't exactly subtle."

Karliah placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Selene can take care of herself; she will be fine."

"Let's just get back to Riften. I need to put Rowan to bed."

"Brynjolf—"

"Just don't, all right?"

"Have you forgotten? Along with everything else she said, Nocturnal told you Selene would return. I know you've been worried, but you will see her again. I'm sure of it."

"If you think that's going to stop me worrying, you don't know me very well."

"No, Brynjolf. I didn't think it would stop you. But I do what I can to help. Come, let's go get your daughter."

* * *

After a decent rest, Blanche and Selene got back on the road, and they arrived in Solitude late the next morning. Blanche was anxious, worried about the impending conversation with Sybille. The court mage could be unpredictable, even mischievous, especially if she saw some advantage in it for herself. Blanche didn't trust her not to cause trouble, but she could see no way to avoid meeting with her.

They made their way to the Blue Palace, where they said hello to Selene's good friends Jarl Elisif and Falk Firebeard, who held court in the throne room. Elisif nodded a friendly hello, but Falk took Selene in his arms and hugged her warmly.

"It's good to see you, old friend!" he greeted. "How is that baby of yours?"

"Getting bigger every day. Her hair is as red as yours and so curly I can barely get a comb through it."

"And your husband?" Elisif asked. "Is he at home with her?"

"Aye. Blanche and I are investigating some disturbing events in Eastmarch, so Brynjolf is babysitting. Do you two know Blanche?"

"Aye, she's taken care of a few giants, bandits, and a madman on the streets for us," Falk replied with a chuckle.

"It's good to see you both," Elisif added. "But if Ulfric thinks I'm responsible for whatever happened in Eastmarch, I can promise I had nothing to do with it."

"Did someone try to assassinate him again?" Falk almost sounded hopeful.

Selene narrowed her eyes at the steward. "Do you have to be like that? No, it was an . . . atmospheric phenomenon. The sun disappeared."

"Come again?"

"You heard me right, Falk. We have some ideas we wanted to run past Sybille Stentor. Is she here?"

"You know she's a day sleeper, Selene."

"For this, I'm going to ask that she be awakened."

"Aye, I'll have it taken care of at once." He spoke with one of the servants, who went to retrieve Sybille.

Blanche was cool and level as usual, and she made a point of pleasing Elisif with small talk. Her coolness was a forced, though, try as she might to contain it. Selene would notice, but hopefully she would write it off to impatience. Elisif could be a little flighty, and Blanche was the no-nonsense type; with luck, Selene would dismiss it.

Sybille walked into the throne room a few minutes later. When she saw Selene and Blanche, she raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. I didn't realize you two knew each other. Now, what is so important that it couldn't wait until this evening?"

Selene glanced at Elisif and Falk, then said, "We might want to have this discussion in private, at least at first."

"Of course." The court mage led them back to her quarters, where she motioned for them to sit down. She had a little sitting area at the end of her bed, just the perfect spot for visiting with the women and having a glass of wine. Except Sybille didn't drink wine. Blanche knew what was in the cut-glass bottle on the table.

"So this is something you don't want the steward and the jarl to know about? I'm intrigued."

"I told them the basics," said Selene, "but I don't know how much they know about your . . . condition . . . so I thought it best if we didn't broadcast it to the court. The sun disappeared in Eastmarch for several hours."

Sybille raised an eyebrow and looked over at Blanche. "Did it, now? Did either of you see it?"

Blanche met her eyes with a solid stare. "Yes, I saw it."

"And?" Sybille asked expectantly.

"Erm . . ." Blanche blinked, focus suddenly broken. ". . . And it was dark."

"Oh, my. Thank you so much for that insightful description! You believe magic is involved, of course. Am I also correct in assuming you've visited the College of Winterhold?"

Blanche took the sarcasm with a sickly-sweet smile while Selene nodded. "Aye, the librarian is doing some research there, but we had an idea that vampires might be involved, so we thought we would talk to you."

Sybille leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs, not an easy feat in mage robes, but she managed it. She eyed Blanche with amusement, a sentiment Blanche herself did not share. "Well, there was some chatter about the Volkihar vampires looking for an Elder Scroll."

"Volkihar vampires?" Selene asked.

"Yes, there's a castle a ways offshore on the west side of Haafingar. It is known among some that it is—or _was_—ruled by a very powerful vampire lord."

A little put off by the quip, Blanche narrowed her eyes, daring Sybille to keep talking. "And?" she mimicked the mage.

_"And_ one might consider looking into them. If one knew any Volkihar vampires, that is."

"Let's assume we _don't_ know any Volkihar vampires," said Selene, who looked back and forth between Blanche and Sybille with mild confusion. She was starting to notice the tension. "It's not as though we can just take a boat out to this island."

Sybille tittered. "I don't know; you might try. You're both very courageous. What do you think, Blanche?"

It was such a game, and Sybille was winning. Selene was the mouse, cluelessly scooting around an inch away from the cat's claws, but Sybille was unpredictable, living among humans but retaining her condition as she did. Her loyalties were unknowable. Blanche had even strolled right in with her bow and tainted arrows—the very culprits of Selene's mystery—on her back, blatantly challenging Sybille to spoil the surprise with an anticlimactic twinge and make an end of it all. But instead, Sybille had taken an entirely different stride. She had decided to make Blanche dance.

"I think," Blanche replied slowly, contemplatively, "that a nest of vampires and their overlord may be too much, even for us."

"Very well," said Selene, "what's our next move? The only other thing I can think of is asking Meridia for help, and who knows if she would even speak to us?"

Gods damn it. It came down to a choice between Castle Volkihar and Meridia, two of the last places in the world Blanche would want to turn. It was looking more and more as though there was no way out of this. She just had to orchestrate it carefully and take control of the situation so she and Selene didn't end up killing each other. She sighed, still giving Sybille the evil eye. "As much as Meridia hates undead, I don't exactly trust her. Daedra are Daedra. Maybe we should just head to the place and scope it out, see what we're up against?"

"Sure. I'm assuming there's a ferry or something to take us across? I don't know how easy it'll be to sneak up on the castle, but I'm willing to try." Selene got up and leaned over, squeezing Sybille's hand. "Thanks for your help, Sybille. I knew we came to the right place."

"I hope you find what you're looking for, my dear. Should be an interesting trip."

Blanche paused after Selene had left and glared at Sybille for a moment longer. The court mage smiled innocently and shrugged her shoulders, and Blanche couldn't contain the growl that escaped her lips. She turned and stalked out of the room with Sybille giggling behind her.

* * *

Selene and Blanche said goodbye to Falk and Elisif before leaving the castle and heading west. Rather than figure out what to do with their horses when they crossed the water, they left them at the stable and walked.

Selene didn't know what had been going on between Blanche and Sybille, but the Redguard's whole mood had changed since the visit. She was even quieter than normal and a bit snippy, her shoulders tense and her expression grim. When Selene asked her what was wrong, she shrugged and replied that the court mage grated on her, but wouldn't go into detail.

As they approached the shore, Selene wondered how she could have missed the castle before. She had been right here at Northwatch Keep and never noticed the massive structure looming half a mile off the coast. She must have been really distracted. It was dark and forbidding, surrounded by jagged rocks and bearing several towers with precipitous roofs and a steep ramp to the portcullis from the dock below. A small, black watchtower stood at the foot of the ramp. Maybe it was more difficult to see during a storm or blizzard. Whatever the case, there was indeed a little dock and a dinghy that would take them across to the castle.

"Are you ready to do this?" she asked Blanche, climbing into the boat.

"I guess so. Looks pretty foreboding, doesn't it?" Blanche climbed in and took up the rear set of oars.

Selene started rowing, but when they got about halfway across, she suddenly got the feeling that something wasn't right. Blanche's scent had changed, but she couldn't identify just how. She didn't see anybody standing watch at the castle, but alarms were going off in her head like crazy. She was just about to turn and ask Blanche what was wrong when she felt a sharp pinch on the back of her neck. Blanche was biting her!

"Blanche, what-?" She fought, but Blanche was stronger than she was. After a moment, she began to weaken and become light-headed, and before long she blacked out altogether.

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC


	7. Dragonborns with Fangs 7: Blood

Dragonborns with Fangs Seven

Blood

When Selene awoke, she was in a prison cell. There were other cells nearby, but no one was in them. In fact, the block she was in was totally deserted. She reached around to touch the back of her neck, where two evenly spaced—very sore—marks rested. "That bitch," she muttered. All this time together, searching for clues about vampires, and that damn Redguard _was_ one all along. For all Selene knew, she was the one who had made the sun disappear. The thought so infuriated Selene that it didn't even occur to her to be afraid. She stood at the bars of her cell and screamed, "_Blanche! Get the fuck down here!"_

Her yell was met with silence for some time, but a few low voices finally began to float in from underneath a nearby doorway.

"My lady, I don't think it's a good idea right now."

"What, it's better to let her sit and fester? You may want to get torn limb from limb by an angry, betrayed werewolf, but I don't."

"You downplay our power."

"And you downplay Stormblade."

The door clanged open and shut, and Blanche stepped in. She was dressed quite differently, wearing red and black armor with a design reflecting spikes and edges; there was no doubt what creatures it was meant for. She also wore a black cloak that appeared to have been barely saved from a fire, judging by its singed edges and the number of holes it had, but an orange shimmer pulsating over its form called for a resistance to flame. Her hood and dragonscale pieces remained, but the hood was pushed back, and her hair was significantly wilder than it had been.

"I apologize for the cell. We don't normally take guests that aren't thralls."

"Blanche, what in the void?" Selene snarled. "Did you do it? Are you responsible for the sun blinking out of the sky?"

"Yes. I know, I know, I deserve a punch in the nose." She approached the cell slowly. "It was only once, and I had sworn I wouldn't do it to begin with. We all knew it would bring too much attention to us, as you have proven. But I was wounded, tired, and the temptation was—" she twitched an eyebrow— "unimaginable, to you."

"You think I don't understand temptation?" Selene argued. "The desire to feed on human flesh in beast form is overwhelming at times. Why didn't you just tell me? I wouldn't have cared! You know I'm a werewolf, and you already know I have vampiric friends. I was much more concerned with making sure it didn't happen again than apprehending or punishing whoever did it. Gods damn it, Blanche, we could have saved a lot of time and not spent all these days away from our families!"

"Oh, I didn't know any of that." Blanche curled her lip a little. "Who was to say what you might have done? I am married to your close friend; maybe you would decide that it would be better if we weren't together. For _his_ sake, of course, because my days outnumber his. I could even be a threat, a danger to him, keeping him only as a loyal, portable meal."

"Does he know, Blanche? Does Farkas know you're a vampire? Or that you made the sun disappear?"

Her eye twitched. "Of course he knows what I am; but he doesn't need to know what I've done. No one does." She narrowed her eyes. "And what would you tell Ulfric, Selene? I live in his capital city. He tolerates me as a Redguard, but a vampire? When dragons pray. I doubt he knows what _you_ are, either." She closed her fingers around the bars of the cell. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, but there were too many risks I didn't want I take by telling you everything."

"I get that. I'm still angry, and frankly it's probably better to keep me in here until I've calmed down enough _not_ to punch you in the nose, but I do understand. I know that if you knew me better, you'd never have had doubts; but you didn't, so here we are." She pulled back and paced the cell nervously. "No, Ulfric doesn't know I'm a werewolf, and he likely never will. I'm not going to tell him you're a vampire. He trusts me enough that if I tell him the problem is taken care of, he'll take my word. At most, I might have to hedge a bit." Blanche's lifted eyebrow said she wasn't convinced, but she spoke nothing. Selene was really starting to dislike that eyebrow. "As for Farkas, that's between the two of you. He's a big boy and can take care of himself, and if he knows and accepts it, that's fine. I'm not going to butt in as long as you don't pose a real danger to him and those kids, and I don't believe you do. But Blanche, you have to promise not to do this again. I'd say I would make _sure_ you didn't do it again, but I don't want to kill you, and I don't have the power to stop you. I'll just have to hope you have the honor to keep your word." She stomped her foot impetuously. "And don't bite me again without asking!"

"I can do that," Blanche chuckled. "Hopefully all of that." She pulled away from the bars for a moment to snarl at the thin, pointed face of a small elven vampire who had peeked in. He disappeared quickly.

Selene eyed Blanche pensively for a moment and then said, "Do you know there's a cure? Take a filled black soul gem to Falion in Markarth, and he will cure you. That is, if you want it. I enjoy being a werewolf; you may like being a vampire. But I wanted to let you know there are options."

"'Cure'?" Her expression was unreadable. "Well, I'll keep that in mind; thank you."

"So are you going to let me out of here?"

Blanche lowered her voice and glanced over at the door. "We won't be here long. The others don't like your presence here, Selene, but they believe I'm going to make you into my thrall; I hope it doesn't come to that. I'll come let you out in . . . is ten minutes enough? Anyway, we'll have to do some acting."

"Sure, but how does a thrall act? The only ones I've ever seen were trying to kill me."

"Oh. Erm . . ." Blanche blinked. "Something like a housecarl, but more blindly loyal and less personality. Just don't say too much. Ah, anyway, can I get you anything? Hungry?"

Selene shook her head. "I wouldn't mind having my gear back as soon as possible. Don't worry, I won't attack anybody unless they attack me first; I just feel naked without it."

"Of course. It's all safe; I'll bring it to you when I let you out." She turned and left the cell block.

Selene paced back and forth, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The longer she waited, the worse it would get. She would continue to trust Blanche like an idiot, but she still didn't like being penned up, and her wolf spirit was fighting to get to the surface. When Blanche did come to let her out, Selene would have to be very cautious or things could get unbelievably bloody.

Although she was still angry with Blanche, she had to admit she was angrier with herself. How could she not have noticed it? Now that she knew what she was seeing, everything about Blanche screamed _vampire_. Her eyes, her fear of fire, little things she knew or detected that would have been difficult without enhanced senses. The game she and Sybille had played. Now that she thought back, she even remembered how quiet she was during the day and how much more alive she seemed at night. How could Selene have been so stupid? Did Blanche cast some sort of spell to cloud her mind and make her not notice? Maybe it was because she hadn't been looking for the signs. Or maybe she just hadn't wanted to see it. She had been so determined to like Blanche that she had accepted everything the Redguard had done. She had even said it was okay when she found out she was Dragonborn. Perhaps she had been staying at home and living a peaceful life too long. She'd become downright naïve.

It was a lot longer than ten minutes before Blanche returned, face stone-set as ever. She said nothing, but put a finger to her lips and gave the door a distrustful glance. After a moment, she leaned toward the bars and motioned for Selene to come closer. Her voice was barely a hiss as she whispered in Selene's ear. "I can sense your blood boiling. The others will as well, so I will cast a Calm spell to cool it off. But whatever you do, do as you're told, and when the spell wears off, pretend it hasn't. Thralls are passive unless their masters are in danger."

Selene stared her earnestly in the eye and whispered, "I've done my best to be your friend and be trustworthy, and you haven't done the same. I'll do what you ask, but I need to know that can trust you from now on. No more deception. Promise me. Swear it."

Blanche wouldn't meet her eyes for long, and she sent the door another glance. "My word is worth very little. But I am your chance of getting out of here, so you can either take it, or be stuck in here until you turn to dust." She took a step back and her fingers lit with a soft, greenish glow, but she waited for Selene's consent.

Selene hesitated just long enough to think of Brynjolf and Rowan's faces before she nodded gravely. "So be it."

Blanche prepared the spell and cast it over Selene. Her anger melted away, and her mind was calm, uncluttered. Even her muscles were relaxed. She gave Blanche a peaceful smile. "Wow, that's better than skooma!"

The vampire opened her mouth and sniffed her to ensure that the spell had the desired effect, and when she decided it had, she pulled a key from her satchel and unlocked the door. "Your possessions are just outside. Come with me." She turned and glided away, heading for the door. The second she opened it, Blanche found herself eyes-to-chin with an orange-eyed high elf, dressed in a gray-toned version of her armor.

His face was straight until she looked up at him, and then he broke into a smile that looked more like a smirk. "My lady."

"Vingalmo."

"I and the others are most interested in seeing this _thrall_ of yours." He tried to peer over her head at Selene; but Blanche put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back, and he obediently stepped to the side, letting the fresh, almost overpowering scent of blood flow into the room.

_By the Nine_, Selene thought as she swooned.

"Yes, she will make a fine servant." Blanche strode past him. "I am quite impressed that I was able to subdue a beast with blood as fiery as hers." She motioned toward Selene's gear, which had been stacked and arranged neatly on a bench next to a large ale keg. "Put on your armor, Selene, and arm yourself again."

The elf turned his eyes to Selene.

Selene met them for only a brief second before turning away and silently stepping over to the bench, where she equipped her gear, trying not to look as uncomfortable as she felt. The scent of blood made her mouth water; the fact that it was _human_ blood made her thankful for the Calm spell. She prayed to the Divines that there weren't any living humans running around this place when it wore off. Her wolf spirit had retreated with the spell, but Selene could still sense her, deep within her soul, panting and growling, waiting to spring into action. When she had agreed to do what was necessary to get out alive, it hadn't even occurred to her that anybody might need to be protected from _her_.

"I'm ready," she told Blanche shakily.

Vingalmo chuckled. "I don't think 'subdue' is the best word to use in this case, my lady."

"Unless you have something useful to tell me, Vingalmo, I'd prefer that you stop pretending you aren't here to pry and go make yourself useful elsewhere."

"Actually, I do, but it can wait until a more convenient time." The elf breezed out of the room, and Blanche stared darkly at his back until he was out of sight. After a moment, though, she murmured, "Hold your breath," to Selene and followed after him.

Wondering how in Oblivion she was going to hold her breath long enough not to be overwhelmed by that delicious scent without losing consciousness, she followed Blanche out of the room.

Suddenly, holding her breath wasn't a problem, because Selene couldn't breathe. She didn't shock easily, but the gruesome tableau before her certainly accomplished it. The two women had emerged into the grand hall of what must have been Castle Volkihar, with a high ceiling adorned with a candle-laden chandelier. A throne presided over several long dining tables arranged into a U-shape, and balconies overlooked the entire scene. Platters and goblets bearing the grisly remains of life—bones, chunks of flesh, the occasional skull—lined the tables. The goblets and jugs were stained red. Kegs dripped liquid of similar color onto the stone floor, and here and there, the occasional intact body could be seen . . . but they were alive, and occasionally gave off a weak groan when one of the vampires seated behind them leaned forward to sink their fangs into an arm or a shoulder. Other vampires milled about the court, some with goblets in their hands, chatting idly.

The problem wasn't the blood and gore; the problem was that as horrible as the scene was, it was also . . . seductive. Her wolf spirit was pushing toward the surface again; and while part of her wanted to attack, kill every undead monster in the place and save the poor souls who were suffering at their hands, another part of her wanted to join in, shift to her beast form and wrestle the still-beating hearts from their bodies. _Sweet Kynareth, help me get through this,_ she prayed, swallowing a massive lump in her throat.

Under the table nearest to Blanche and Selene, a lithe, black creature vaguely resembling an earless, tailless, hairless dog gnawed on a bloody bone. It paused to look up and pulled back its lips in a loud, cutting snarl directed mainly toward Selene. At the sound, almost all of the vampires in the room quieted and turned their matching sets of eyes toward the two.

"Silence, Garmr!" Blanche growled back. "This one is not for you." She seemed to recognize the source of the hound's concern, though, and looked back at Selene. "If you like," she said softly, "you may have something from the kegs."

Selene actually considered it briefly, but eating the heart of a necromancer or Forsworn committing atrocities, and drinking the blood of slaves and human cattle, were two different things. She shook her head. "Thanks, but no, when we leave, I'll go find a deer or something."

The other vampires exchanged a few doubtful looks amongst themselves, but most went back to what they had been doing previously. A few, however—including the doglike creature, whose red eyes never left her—kept a close eye on her. One of these was a gray-clad man with dark hair and a vaguely Nordic face, who pulled Blanche aside.

"You may be lord of the court," he hissed in a false-whisper, "but this is ridiculous! A werewolf! What are you thinking?"

Blanche regarded him coolly. "She won't hurt your thralls, Rargal."

"How do you know that? You sound so confident."

"I am. Give her a few minutes."

"I'm fine," Selene lied. "I won't hurt anybody." _Not anybody who doesn't try to hurt me_, she added to herself. She kept mostly quiet, her eyes constantly on Blanche as she moved about as though she were enamored of her. It didn't take long to realize that not only was Blanche a vampire, she was the _head_ vampire. She was the lady of this manor. And she'd had the gall to look at Selene sideways for being Guildmaster! Maybe Selene would _still_ punch her in the nose.

Blanche waved Rargal away and moved on through the room, pausing to take up her own bloody goblet before crossing over to a room on the opposite corner of the hall. Two elven vampires were there—a Dunmer, who concentrated over a dead but unbloodied alchemist laid out upon a large table, and a Bosmer, who acted much like a thrall despite his undead nature. It was with these that Blanche began to speak.

Someone bumped into Selene from behind, with an exclamation of, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there." It was a human, alive and apparently well, quite bald and dressed in plain gray robes, and carrying a suspiciously Blades-like katana on his belt. He had been honest in his words, though, because a blindfold had been secured around his eyes. Despite this, now that he knew Selene was there, he fixed upon her as though he was looking her in the eye. "You're new to the court, aren't you?"

"I'm just vi—aye, I'm new here. I'm Selene Stormblade; I'm with Blanche. Why are you blindfolded?"

"I am blind," he replied matter-of-factly. "The Elder Scrolls have taken their toll on me. Oh, I apologize, I haven't introduced myself. I am Dexion Evicus, a moth priest. Retired, now, for obvious reasons." He laughed.

Selene nodded knowingly. "I'd heard the Elder Scrolls could cause blindness. You may not believe it, but I read one once. It sent me back in time."

"You have read an Elder Scroll?" he asked incredulously. "And it sent you back in time! How I wish I could tell of such an experience. "

"Aye, it was . . . quite an adventure. You know, I grew up in Cyrodiil and heard talk of moth priests, but I've never heard of any in Skyrim. How did end up here and . . . _here_? You don't seem like the other humans in this place."

"I am a servant to Blanche, as you are. She does not permit her friends here to feed on me because I have served her well in the past, reading Elder Scrolls for her. It was my foolish haste in doing so that caused this." He motioned to his blindfold. "But it is no loss to me."

Blanche broke away from the vampires she was speaking with and headed back into the main hall. Vingalmo, who had been milling around at the opposite side of the room, noticed and made a beeline for her. Across from him, a handsome, red-haired Nord vampire with a thick but well-trimmed beard also made for her. They seemed to be racing to get to her first. Selene doubted they would cause any trouble Blanche couldn't handle, but a good little thrall would do what she could to protect her mistress, so she excused herself from Dexion and headed toward Blanche as well.

Vingalmo won the race. "My lady, there is something we need to—"

He was suddenly elbowed in the ribs and shoved out of the way by the Nord. "—something you need to know," he finished. "Concerning the settlement near Morthal."

Blanche watched the episode with her eyebrows raised a little, a completely unamused look on her face. "Go on, Orthjolf."

Vingalmo sulked in the background while Orthjolf happily accepted his nomination to be the bearer of bad news. He lowered his voice, more conscious of the other vampires than the thralls. "The outpost was . . ."

"Was what?"

"Destroyed."

Although the blood was strong enough to mask most of the scents in the room, it wasn't enough to cover the alarm that flashed through Blanche. "What?"

"The Dawnguard burned them out." Orthjolf's voice was quiet. "There were no survivors."

"But . . . gods, they weren't hurting anyone!" Blanche's alarm turned angry. "I told them not to feed on the humans in Morthal. Did they disobey that order?"

"Not that I know of. And that isn't all, my lady. . . ." He paused. "Serana was among them."

His words were met with silence, and Blanche's scent went wild.

"She left to go meet up with them not long after you last returned here. I tried to discourage her—"

"_I_ did, actually, while you were lying with your head in a blood barrel," Vingalmo retorted.

Orthjolf ignored him. "But she insisted on going. Said she wanted to 'see the sights.'"

Blanche's eyes drifted away from his face. "Thank you, Orthjolf. That will be all."

"Aye, my lady."

Blanche's scent was roiling in a flurry of emotions, not the least of which was fear. She stood motionless and covered her chin with her hand, lost in thought.

"Who's Serana?" Selene asked, making Blanche jump, a fairly amusing sight coming from the stoic Redguard.

"I—" she shook her head, and it all smoothed away like butter. "Serana is—_was_, it would seem—a good friend of mine. I . . . I am sorry you won't be meeting her."

Orthjolf had meandered away by this time, and Vingalmo took the opening to get Blanche's attention again. "My lady, if I may have a moment. Alone, if it please you."

Blanche gave a quiet sigh. "Of course." She turned and followed him to a far corner of the room, where they commenced speaking.

Selene was left among the other vampires, and by this time most had accepted that she wasn't too bad a threat and were eyeing her curiously. One had opened her mouth to smell her blood. Selene eyed the vampire and sniffed back at her. She was starting to feel more comfortable in this nest of vampires, getting used to the scents and attitudes. The dog-like creature padded over to her, and she risked holding her hand out. It peered up at her for a moment with its glowing red eyes and then sniffed her hand. After a moment it pressed its face against it, and Selene scratched it behind the ears. It was a weird texture, leathery, bony, and ice cold, as was its tongue when it raised its head and licked her. Still, it was the friendliest non-moth priest in the place, and Selene was grateful for the company. She felt an odd kinship with the undead dog, as did her wolf spirit, who pushed forward again. The change in her scent made the dog look up and keen—not so much a howl as a whine, similar to how the Circle often communicated in beast form. Selene whined back at him.

In the background, Blanche suddenly slapped Vingalmo, without otherwise batting an eyelid at whatever he was saying. As Selene watched the exchange, she got the distinct impression that this Vingalmo character would just as soon kill Blanche and take over as do her bidding.

The undead dog trotted away for a moment and soon returned leading another of its kind. This one was a little smaller, but bulkier, and its teeth were several degrees more crooked, but it too warmed up to Selene after some hesitation, and both sat down at her feet complacently.

Blanche's slap had slowed down Vingalmo's speed of speech, but he continued, and Blanche's reply was barely audible as she took on a lower, more cutting tone. "My husband will be willing. But my daughters are out of the question, and if you ever mention them in this context again, I will use you for my next archery target." Judging by the way his shoulders hunched, he didn't see it as an idle threat. She gave him a curt nod and returned to Selene, where her hard expression turned more open at the sight of the two dogs. "Oh, I see you've met our death hounds." She bent to rub each one with a hand. "We used to have more, but a certain rogue made off with most of them." She motioned to the first one. "This one is Garmr; the other is CuSith."

"Aye, we've become good friends." She nodded toward Vingalmo. "Everything all right?

"Yes." Blanche rubbed CuSith between the eyes with her thumb and stood up again. "We should be going soon."

Selene wanted to know more, but she figured the lady of the house explaining herself to a thrall was unheard of, so she left it at that as Blanche whisked away again, out of the hall.

Orthjolf and Vingalmo were tossing jibes at each other again, and near Selene, a short woman with a greatsword on her back rested her elbows on the table she had a place at and rubbed her temples. "I wish Orthjolf and Vingalmo would just get it over with and kill each other," she muttered to the vampire standing next to her. "Ugh, I'm tired of listening to them."

"If we're lucky," the other, also a young woman with rusty hair and a Nordic accent, chuckled, "Blanche will do it for us. Did you see her slap Vingalmo? I'll bet that made both his cheeks burn." This one stood and approached Selene with a look of vague recognition on her face. "Hmm, so you're of the beast blood, eh? I suppose you were part of the Companions before the lord of the court brought you in."

"I was," Selene confirmed without elaborating.

"I was a Companion once," she replied absently as she tilted her head back and emptied her goblet into her mouth. "They would never let me into their Circle. Too good for me, they were." Her tone was unfocused, as if she were talking to a pet. "Well, they'll never call me a whelp again."

"Perhaps it wasn't that they were too good for you; maybe _you_ weren't good enough for _them_. They're very choosy."

"Stop whining about your hurt feelings, Hestla," the other vampire grumbled. "Honestly, you're as bad as that thrall Rargal culled last week."

Hestla scowled, but then turned away from her. "I've always dreamed of feasting on wolf blood. Especially theirs." She sighed. "I don't remember you, but I suppose you'll do. Whet my appetite a little, no?" Suddenly she was very close to Selene, mouth open a little.

"That is disgusting." The other vampire grimaced.

"Shut up, Fura."

Selene took a step back, fighting for control, fighting to stay the good little thrall and not tear Hestla's throat out. "I belong to Blanche, and Blanche only," she told the vampire, the tremble in her voice all too real. "She was very specific about that point. If you have a problem with that, you should take it up with her."

"Oh, that's not fair," Hestla groused. "She's not usually that selfish."

Fura laughed behind her. "Tough luck. And Blanche hardly ever feeds, so all that Companion blood, gone to waste . . ."

Selene couldn't resist. "Oh, it's not wasted, I assure you." She smiled sweetly, praying to any Divine who would listen that Blanche would hurry up and get her out of there before she did something stupid. She hadn't been this religious in a long time.

Hestla and Fura both lifted their eyebrows. Hestla started to say something else, but some Divine must have heard Selene's call, because Blanche returned, dressed in her green mage robes again. The color was an odd contrast with the rest of the place. "I hope you two aren't tormenting my thrall."

Selene waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, we were just bantering. They actually made me feel very welcome. Thank you, ladies." She knelt down to pet the dogs, who both rubbed against her hands happily.

"Torment? Me?" Hestla put on an innocent face. "I wouldn't."

"Yes she would," Fura interjected. "You should have seen the look on her face when she thought about having some beast blood for dessert. Anyway, leaving again so soon? I wish you would spend longer days here."

"I have duties elsewhere; you know that."

"Yes, yes, yes, husband and daughters and mush. Why don't you bring them here?"

"I will when I want to scare them to death," Blanche quipped. "Feed well, both of you. Come along, Selene." With these words, she glided away, and Fura took her own leave of, "Bleed Skyrim dry." Hestla was in the middle of taking another gulp from her goblet and just waved distractedly.

Selene suppressed a small chuckle at Fura's words and followed Blanche out of the castle. They took the dinghy across to the mainland, and Selene sighed with relief as the ocean air cleaned the thick scent of blood from her nose.

"Blanche, I need to hunt," she said as soon as they were back on solid ground. "Can you wait for me somewhere nearby?"

"Of course," Blanche replied. "Though I don't know why you didn't save yourself the trouble earlier."

"It's not just the taste for blood," she explained. "It's the hunt. You had the beast blood; you know what it's like to chase your prey down and . . . I just . . . I really need to kill something, but I won't feed on the innocent or the helpless."

"Understood." Blanche cast a wary glance back toward the castle. "But let's not wait around too long."

"Hmm. Come with me." They hiked south a few miles until they were on the border of The Reach, far enough away from the castle for some comfort, and then Selene undressed and left her gear with Blanche. She ran into the forest and set her wolf spirit free, howling with bloodlust and hunger as her body shifted to beast form. Far in the distance, miles away, another werewolf howled back.

In moments she was on the trail of a deer. The scent of venison didn't cause the lustful reaction like human blood did, but it was enough, and she tracked it down with ease. In a clearing at the edge of a pond was a magnificent, sixteen-point elk. She crept up behind it, but it caught her scent and took off. Selene sprang to action, loping toward the elk with all her might. She sensed his course change before he made it, and when he suddenly veered to the right, she was ready. She sprung and took him down. The deer was a fighter, and Selene got gored in the side with an antler for her trouble, but she barely noticed. All that was on her mind right now was blood and meat. She bared her teeth and tore into the deer's throat. He kicked and screamed as the beast proceeded to rip him to shreds. He stopped fighting soon; after only a few more minutes, there was little left that resembled a deer. The wolf spirit gorged herself, doing to the elk what she had wanted to do to the humans in Castle Volkihar—killing, feeding.

_Feeding. _For just a few moments, that's all there was: feeding. The blood, the meat, the sinew. The blood. So much of it. It filled her mouth, splashed in her face, covered her nose. Warm, rich blood. It was glorious.

Sometime later, spent and satisfied, she found her way back to the pond where she had originally spotted the deer and dipped into the water, letting it lift the blood and gore from her fur. She lay back and looked up at the night sky, the partial moons drifting peacefully among the stars, and started to retreat. Her side hurt; she would have to stitch it when she shifted back to human form. Selene got up and headed back toward Blanche, staying in beast form for warmth. She found the vampire only a couple of hours after she had left, shifted to human form, stitched her wound and swallowed a healing potion, quickly dressed, and loaded up her gear.

"I'm ready to go when you are," she said.

"Enjoy yourself?" There was no sarcasm in her voice. "It's a good night to hunt."

"I did. Got to feed, vent my frustration; it was good for me. Thank you."

"You're injured."

Selene shrugged. "Just an antler; it's fine. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Blanche shook her head. "Not particularly. But I suppose we should get moving."

Selene nodded. "I want to go home."

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC


	8. Dragonborns with Fangs 8: Fallout

Dragonborns with Fangs Eight

Fallout

Selene didn't have much to say as she and Blanche started back across Skyrim. After a while, Blanche broke the silence. "If you'd still like to give me a good backhand, I'll oblige."

Selene looked down at her gloved hand and chuckled. "If you'd said that six hours ago, I might have done it. But I find I don't really want to hit you. Besides, they say if you spank a child, the punishment is over quickly and it doesn't really sink in. I'd rather just let you know how disappointed I am in you."

Mild annoyance seeped into her scent. "Not all vampires are like that."

"Look, I can understand feeding. You do what you have to do to survive. But the things I saw in that castle . . . if you're not like that, why do you allow it? You're the lady of the manor, aren't you?"

"The castle is meant to be a safe haven for our kind. Keeping human cattle makes that much easier . . . and less dangerous. I don't care for the practice, myself, but I allow it in the best interest of everyone." She blinked. "And it isn't as if we take hostages on a regular basis. Some come of their own will. Most are bandits, vagrants, and far from innocent."

Selene didn't know whether to believe her or not, but there wasn't much she could do, so she changed the subject. "We should go back to the college first. Urag will still be doing research if we don't stop him. Then again, knowing him, he may still research it even if we _do_ stop him."

"What are you planning to tell him?"

"The same thing I'm going to tell Ulfric: the problem is handled, but it's not in anyone's best interest to give details." She shrugged. "I'm a Nightingale; they're used to me being cryptic."

Blanche didn't speak for a while after that. Her scent was muted, as always, but she seemed to be having feelings of contradiction, as if she was arguing with herself. When she finally did speak, her voice was low. "I never did lie to you when we left Windhelm. I only told you what you asked for."

"You may not have _spoken_ a lie, but you let me assume you weren't the culprit, and you even went searching with me," Selene bit back. "It amounts to the same thing, Blanche. I chose to trust you, something I don't do easily, and you betrayed that trust. It'll be a long time before I fully trust you again." This was met with a callous silence, and Selene slowed down a little. "I know you felt you had no reason to trust _me_, but for some reason I thought my history with the Companions, my connection to Farkas, and _his_ trust of me would go farther. I'm not going to tell him what you did, but you should. You're married to the man; he deserves to know everything about you."

Blanche's voice turned sour. "I've already been betrayed by people I thought were good, and you were a stranger. Put yourself in my boots—if I had come to your doorstep, hoping to root out a problem that would expose your lycanthropy to, oh, I don't know, the _world_, would you have wanted to admit anything? Tell me honestly."

"You're right — probably not." After another lengthy, awkward silence, Selene breathed a heavy sigh. "Okay. Just promise me this: next time we go out on a mission together and you have some deep, dark secret that will help us out or possibly get me killed, trust me and let me in on it. I'm not judgmental, I'm open-minded, and I can keep a secret. I'll do the same for you. I like traveling with you, and I had a great time fighting alongside you. I'd like to do it again, but we have to trust each other."

Blanche's lips twitched out a brief smile. "Deal."

More of the tension faded away, and by the time they stopped for the night, most of the awkwardness was gone. Blanche didn't bother pretending to eat and simply sat by the fire, keeping Selene company as she ate dried venison, bread, and cheese and drank her last bottle of mead.

"Tell me about your daughter, Rowan," she prodded. "Farkas has mentioned her once or twice."

A broad smile crossed Selene's lips and she took a sip of mead. "Rowan's kind of . . . kind of a miracle for us. We didn't even know I was pregnant with her until after I lost the other one. She's just over a year old now, she's got fiery red curls, even redder than Brynjolf's hair, and she's just gorgeous. She's already taken her first steps, and she says, 'Mama' and 'Dada.' And oddly, something that sounds a little bit like 'Vekel,' although I guess it could be 'Vilkas.' She's a happy baby, so good natured. I miss her like crazy. And Brynjolf, too. We haven't been apart this long in forever."

"Send them our greetings when you go back to Riften." Blanche smiled, maybe a little wistfully.

"So are Sophie and Lucia going to grow up to be fighters? Are you going to train them to join the Companions?"

"Lucia might. She loves using the daggers I always bring home for the two of them, and she's more of a tough nut than anything else. But then, she lived in Whiterun; she knew the Companions. You should have seen her face when she found out who I was married to." She stared into the fire contemplatively."Sofie has had enough of fighting, I think. Did you know Rolff Stone-Fist would even kick her around on some evenings after he'd had too much mead?" Her lip twitched. "It isn't just dark elves he bothers. Someday I'll do more than knock that bastard's front teeth out."

Selene's blood boiled. "I wonder if Galmar and Ulfric know about that," she muttered darkly. "I may have to pay old Rolff a visit when we get back to Windhelm."

"Send him my regards if you do." Blanche reached down to scratch her leg. "What about Rowan? It's a little early, but considering her lineage, it might not be too big a leap to say she'll be all but kleptomaniac, no?"

"Ha! No child of mine will be a common klepto, thank you very much," Selene replied with mock indignation. "She will be trained by the finest thieves and fighters in all of Tamriel." She chuckled and shook her head. "No, we've already decided to give her a choice. We'll train her, but if she doesn't want to go into the family business, that's her prerogative. She can do anything she wants. Uncle Vilkas is already talking about training her as a Companion. He and Lydia were in Riften a few weeks ago and visited for a while. He said Rowan has a strong sword arm. Now, how he can tell that when she's only a year old is beyond me. Lydia's pregnant, you know."

"Oh, is she? I didn't know." Blanche's eyes snapped with animal-like quickness to a rabbit that broke free from the brush and scampered up the trail ahead of them. "They haven't visited in a while. Oh, and how is Delvin faring? He's an old friend of mine."

"Del never changes. He's still handing out jobs, drinking barrels of mead, and trying desperately to gain Vex's affections. He goes to Solstheim every few months to visit his brother, but other than that, he rarely leaves the Flagon. You all should come visit. I bet Rowan would love having a couple of little girls to toddle after. And Brynjolf adores Farkas."

"Delvin has a brother? Huh." Blanche chuckled. "I may take you up on that offer. I've wanted to get them all out of Windhelm for a while. They say Riften is a corrupted city, but I wouldn't give Windhelm a medal for piety either."

Selene gave an exaggerated gasp. "Riften, corrupt? Why, I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. Say what you want about Riften and the Thieves Guild, but one thing I _can_ tell you is that there's less violence there than in all the other hold capitals combined. We do get the occasional vampire, but the bandits and thugs know to stay out of our city. We protect our own—even if they're _paying_ us to protect them. There's also no skooma trade in Riften. I made sure of that personally."

"I'll give you that." She briefly squinted up at the sky from beneath her hood. "You and Brynjolf . . . how did you end up together? I know, same profession, but he never seemed the type to stay with one woman for long." She peered at Selene curiously. "How did you tame him?"

"I think it was love at first sight for us, or at least it was for me." Selene grinned happily. "He picked my pocket, I picked his, he robbed me blind, I threatened his life, and it just sort of blossomed from there. A fortune teller had once told him a dark woman with blue eyes would kiss his cheek and she'd be the greatest love of his life. I kissed his cheek the day after we met, and I don't think he ever fought it. Since we got together, we've hardly ever been apart. But I don't think I ever really tamed him," she admitted. _"Rowan _has tamed him. He's downright domestic these days."

"A fortune teller? It wasn't Olava the Feeble, was it? She's never wrong," Blanche mused. "If she said it, then it is. Not that I couldn't see it myself."

"It was Olava," Selene confirmed. "What do you mean, you could see it yourself?"

"You and Brynjolf are made for each other. Anyone with half a brain would see that." Blanche smiled lightly. "Only so many men would stay with the slayer of Alduin during the rough patches. And I wouldn't say he is exactly the self-sacrificing type for anyone else."

"No, not really." She sighed sadly. "I just can't get back to him fast enough."

"I'm sorry for keeping you from him."

"It's all right." Selene found she meant it.

* * *

Once the tension was relieved, Blanche opened up somewhat. The vampire was quiet as ever, but something about her demeanor changed; before then, she had given off a grave, almost heavy feeling from the way she held her face and body, and there was a weight to every one of her words, as if each had been acutely processed through her head before she said it. Much of this went away after that talk, and Selene felt the change as if a window had been opened in an attic. They also got the opportunity to fight together again when they were attacked by bandits their second night on the road to Winterhold, and after standing back-to-back, firing arrows into their enemies from every side (and even pulling arrows from the quiver on Blanche's back when Selene ran out), something started to form that could almost, but not quite, be called friendship.

At the college, Selene gave Urag a vague explanation, assuring him that the issue of the sun had been resolved and no further research was necessary. They made it back to Windhelm the next day, just as the afternoon sun was at its peak.

"I need to go to the palace and talk to the High King. Do you want to go with me, or would you rather get back to Hjerim and see Farkas and the girls?"

"I prefer to keep an eye on His Majesty, but I would like to see my family. And don't you don't want another bear hug from Farkas? I'm sure Ulfric can wait another half hour."

Selene grinned. "You know what? He can. Let's go see your family."

Blanche returned the smile—brief but genuine—and the two strolled toward Hjerim, passing through the market on the way. It still wasn't completely inhabited, but Niranye and a few other shopkeepers had returned. They, however, looked at the two women with strange, almost unfriendly stares, and it was not until Hjerim's porch came into view that Blanche and Selene understood why.

The door hung ajar, and Blanche paused to look at it. "What . . . ?" She pushed it open and stopped dead.

The place was wrecked. Weapon plaques were stripped from the walls, tables were overturned, display cases had been smashed, and all of their contents were gone. Old food and glass from broken bottles littered the floor. Books were shredded, their pages strewn about as if by a madman, and cupboards had been emptied with sweeping arms. Someone had even taken the liberty of slicing all of the standing and wall-mounted candles in half. The house was deathly silent.

Her heart in her throat, Selene sniffed around. Except for the dead dog in the front room, the house was empty. Farkas and the girls were gone. "There's no one here."

"But . . . they have to be." Blanche's voice was on the verge of shaking, and she visibly struggled to keep it even. "Sofie? Lucia?" She whisked through the main hall and peered into the girls' room. The beds had been shredded. "Farkas?"

The secret panel in the back of the wardrobe had been kicked apart, and Blanche stared blankly at the enchanting table that had been struck with some heavy object and split down the center. She turned and dashed up the stairs, and Selene followed. In a crack between a mannequin and another wrecked display case, a little glass jingled, and Sofie's small, white fox emerged weakly, scratched and rumpled.

"Vix," Blanche breathed, bending to pick the animal up. "I was afraid . . ." She trailed off as the reality set in, and she crumpled to the floor, hunched over as she cradled the fox. Her scent broiled over with terror and guilt, but underneath it all, a sense of sheer rage was slowly coming to life. But her face was straight; the only evidence of it was her quivering hands as she buried her fingers into the fox's fur.

Selene looked around a bit while she waited for the Redguard to contain herself, looking for any evidence of who had trashed the house and why. There was nothing, just wall-to-wall destruction. Several vaguely familiar scents wafted through the house, mostly human, but none she could pin down. Even so, it was a bit encouraging to note that except for the dog, she could smell no other blood in the house. If they had been hurt or killed, it hadn't been here. For now, it was enough to allow the hope that wherever they were, Farkas and the girls were all right. She finally went back to Blanche and knelt down.

"We'll find out what happened here," she said gently. "I want to go to the palace and see what Ulfric knows. Do you want to go with me or stay here?"

The fox suddenly squeaked and fled Blanche's arms, and the Redgaurd turned her blazing eyes up to Selene. "Yes," she replied, her voice dangerously smooth. "Let's pay _His Highness_ a royal visit."

Feeling protective of her, Selene led her through town and to the door of the Palace of the Kings, where the guard gave her a steady glare. "Stormblade."

She stared him in the eye. "Let me in, please."

He opened the door, and she and Blanche went inside, where they found Ulfric sitting on his throne.

The High King closed his eyes tiredly as they approached the throne. "Welcome back, Selene."

"No welcome for me, of course," Blanche spat, looking like she wanted to rip his face off. "Skip the formalities, Your Grace—what have you done with my family?"

"I haven't 'done' anything," Ulfric scowled at her. "The Dawnguard walked in, telling me about a vampire possibly living in my city." He stood from his throne and approached them both. "They said it was you. Given the circumsta-"

He was cut off abruptly when Blanche's fingernails flew down the side of his face with an angry screech. "You _bastard!_"

Selene grabbed Blanche by the hood and yanked her back as guards started to approach. Ulfric reached for the Redguard, and Selene put hand on his chest to stop him.

"Your Grace, wait. Just wait." She turned to Blanche and took hold of her arms, her fingers digging into the flesh. It was the first time Selene had actually touched her; her arms were ice cold. "Get control of yourself," she warned her. "You just assaulted the High King; all you're doing is making things worse for everybody. Look at me, Blanche." Blanche's eyes met hers, and she said, "It's going to be okay. This is all just a big misunderstanding. But you can't help Farkas and the girls if you get yourself thrown in jail."

Blanche blinked at her, almost not comprehending. After a few moments, she nodded and kept her place behind Selene.

Selene turned back to Ulfric, one hand still holding Blanche's arm. "So, _my lord_," she sneered. "Did you investigate or just take the word of a group that kills first and asks questions later?"

Ulfric touched the bleeding scratches on his face and shot Blanche a hateful look. "I was _going_ to say, given the circumstances, I told them to go ahead and find out."

Blanche peered over Selene's shoulder. "All due respect, you do realize that that meant ransacking and looting my house, killing my dog, and taking my family to Talos knows where, where 'finding out' will involve torture. They will kill even the slightest suspect. Ask the Jarl of Riften—I'm sure she could tell you plenty about that."

"Ulfric—Your Grace—tell me you didn't let them take Farkas and the girls," Selene pleaded.

Ulfric kept his ground, but he wouldn't meet either of the women's eyes. "I didn't expect them to walk out of the city with them," he muttered, "but I couldn't very well stop them, even if I'd wanted to."

Blanche hissed softly.

"Why not?" Selene demanded. "You're the High King; you can do whatever you want. But you _didn't_ want to stop them, did you? Why?"

"If a vampire is rooting around in my city," Ulfric retaliated, "I want it gone, and I don't think sending the Dawnguard away empty handed would have set well with anyone. How could anyone trust their king if he won't settle issues right inside his own walls?"

"How could anyone trust their king if he might let their families be hauled away while they're on—what was it called—court business?" Blanche spat from behind Selene.

"So you just allowed an innocent man and two children to be dragged away because Blanche _might_ be a vampire?" Selene glared at him. "With all due respect, Your Grace, this is the biggest mistake you have ever made. They'll die; you know that, right? You know Farkas, and you know that even if there was anything to tell, he'd die before he'd crack. And what do you think they'll do to those little girls?"

_"Everybody_ cracks, Selene."

The comment pulled Selene up short. Ulfric had to believe that so he could sleep at night, and he didn't need to hear that she disagreed. Then again, if the Dawnguard was threatening the children, she had no way of knowing how much information Farkas would give up.

"Where did they take them? Fort Dawnguard?"

"I don't know. Probably." Ulfric cleared this throat. ". . . _Are_ you a vampire, Blanche?"

Blanche's eye twitched. "You could have asked me that before Hjerim was ransacked."

"If all plays out well, you'll be reimbursed."

"I don't want to be reimbursed," she snapped. "I want my husband and my daughters. I thank you very much for your generosity, my king, but may I please go and get them now before they lose too many body parts?"

He raised a brow at her. "You never answered my question."

"Let's put it this way." Blanche's hair practically fluffed up of its own accord. "If I return from Fort Dawnguard alive, then I survived like any human would. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough."

"Just so you know," Selene mentioned, "we discovered the source of the sun blinking out. It's been taken care of and won't happen again. Don't ask me details because certain elements of the mission need to be . . . protected."

Ulfric's eyes snapped straight to Blanche, but she wasn't looking at him, and Selene stepped back into his line of vision.

"Your Grace, Blanche may not want reimbursement, but _I_ would ask that while we're gone, somebody go in and clean the place up. And feed her pet fox. If this is all right with Blanche, of course." She gave Blanche a questioning glance. The Redguard nodded once, and Selene turned away without giving the king time to respond.

She headed toward the door, but she only got a few feet before she stopped and went back. Standing very close to him and gazing earnestly into his eyes, she said, "Ulfric, I know that on some level, you still love me. With that in mind, I have a question for you. What if I told you _I_ was a vampire?"

Ulfric tried not to waver, but he couldn't quite meet Selene's hypnotic blue eyes. "I'm not sure," he admitted, caressing her cheek lightly. "But you aren't dangerous. I know you, Selene. While I don't approve of your profession, you only take coin, not lifeblood. Not _innocent_ lifeblood. That Redguard—" His eyes flicked to Blanche very briefly. "—is a stranger. I don't know where she's from, what she's done. I barely know her name. Selene, you must understand."

"'That Redguard' is my friend, and I trust her with my life. And I _am_ dangerous; you know this. I'm simply your ally—well, more than just an ally—and you know I would never hurt you and yours. I do understand, love. You don't know her, and you have every right not to trust her. But she is a citizen in your city—and a Companion, to boot—and she was out helping me with a mission _for you_, in case you didn't know."

"I had been told, yes."

"You should have given her the benefit of the doubt or at least protected her family. To let the Dawnguard go in and take Farkas—who you _do_ know—and their two little girls . . . Ulfric, I just can't believe you did that. You have disappointed me before, but this is so much . . . you aren't the person I thought you were."

Ulfric looked away, pain on his face and filtering through his scent. "All this about vampires and suns disappearing had me uneasy, Selene. And Nilsine . . . Nilsine is pregnant and in bad health." He brought his eyes back to Selene's. "We found she was carrying just after you left. And I wanted _nothing_ to threaten her." He glanced back at Blanche again. "Perhaps that made me a bit rash."

"Bad health?" Selene repeated. "What's wrong? Do you know?"

Ulfric sighed and shook his head. "She was sickly as it was, but the sun scared her half to death, and the child seems to be taking its toll even this early. I fear for her."

"Ulfric, help us fix this. Please. How long ago did it happen? When did they take them?"

"They came and went only a couple of days after you left. I do believe they've returned to Fort Dawnguard. Be careful, Selene. If they knew Blanche would be as . . . concerned . . . as she is, it may be a trap to lure her in, not just an interrogation. Or it may be both; I can't say."

"I need you to get a message to Vilkas as soon as possible. I doubt he will have time to get there before it's all over, but he needs to know about this. Tell him what happened, and tell him to go to the Ragged Flagon in Riften for further instructions." She turned to Blanche. "Is there anyone you want him to contact for you?"

Blanche shook her head.

"Very well," said Ulfric. "I'll see to it."

Selene placed a hand on the High King's cheek, and he closed his eyes and covered it with his own. She pulled it away after a moment and said, "I hope Nilsine gets better. I don't know if I'll return to Windhelm with Blanche when this is over, but be sure to keep me informed as to how she's doing. And if either of you need me, I'll be here." With that, she turned to Blanche. "Let's go."

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC


	9. Dragonborns with Fangs 9: Preparation

Dragonborns with Fangs Nine

Preparing for War

Selene and Blanche stopped at Oengul's forge and restocked their arrows, then went into the White Phial for some potions. Most of the vendors' stalls were still closed, but the women were able to get some mead, cheese, and dried meat from Niranye before heading out of town. Selene borrowed Brann again, and they were on their way.

They rode hard for a while, but as they reached the north end of the Aalto, Selene slowed up and turned to Blanche. "Listen, I'm sorry for what Ulfric did." Blanche raised the eyebrow at her, and she added, "I know he's not my responsibility, but I still feel I need to apologize for him." She breathed a heavy sigh. "You want to know a secret? I'm so mad at him that I could Shout him across the room, but on some level I still love the man. Don't get me wrong—I worship the ground Brynjolf walks on, and I'm happier than I've ever been—but Ulfric is the kind of man who stays with you. For good or for bad, really."

"Well, needless to say I won't be enchanting weapons for him anymore," Blanche murmured. "Though right now I couldn't enchant anything for anyone, could I?" She smiled briefly. "But thank you. If you'd like, we can stop in Riften before we head for Dayspring Canyon. I have a friend there who has some good supplies. And I don't think Brynjolf would mind the visit, either."

"I definitely want to stop in Riften, and not just to see my family. I don't know if we can do this on our own; I was thinking of asking Brynjolf and Karliah for help. I don't know how much I would trust the Guild with the knowledge that you're a vampire, although most of them know I'm a werewolf, but we don't have to be concerned about Bryn and Karliah. I worry about both of us being away from Rowan, but he's the best fighter in the Guild. I want to leave word for Vilkas, too."

"Yes, I don't suppose Riften is the best place to look for a babysitter, is it?" Blanche chuckled. She paused for a moment and then said, "Have you ever tried a potion of blood?"

"No, what is it?"

"A potion of blood is . . . exactly what it's called." Blanche pulled up on her reigns when her horse got antsy. "My consort in Riften makes them; it's a very potent health potion with a human ingredient added in, if you catch my meaning. It helps with bloodlust and is generally used as a 'quick fix' if we can't find anywhere to feed. All of my brethren take some when they leave the castle, but I don't keep any, in case something like . . . like _that_ happens." She nodded over her shoulder, back toward Windhelm. "I guess I never really thought it would, though. As a werewolf, you may find them useful, too."

Selene chuckled. "Aye, that actually doesn't sound disgusting. It must be the werewolf in me. It might be a good idea to keep some on hand. Who is your consort? It's probably somebody I know."

"A Bosmer, named Valindor. He used to take meals at Haelga's bunkhouse, though he hasn't been seen there lately." Blanche smiled darkly. "Friendly enough fellow, though. Have you met him? He's always bewailing Valenwood, his homeland."

"I don't know him well, just to say hello to." Selene narrowed her eyes a bit. "I have to ask you about this word, 'consort.' It's something vampiric, right? You're not cheating on Farkas."

"Not that kind of consort." Blanche gave her a sideways look. "I wouldn't cheat on my mate, and if I was, I'd have chosen my words more carefully." She smiled drily. "And anyway, we vampires tend to have less . . . lustful inclinations than the living, some of us less than others. Farkas is more than enough for me."

"Less 'lustful' inclinations?" Selene chuckled. "That's a real shame, Blanche. Think I'll keep the beast blood."

"Don't you assume we're all out of the game. One might be enough for me, but I'll be damned if that one bites the dust."

They rode south, only stopping for a few short hours to rest the horses, and made it to Riften the next morning. They left Brann and Shadowmere with Hofgrir, and Selene led Blanche around to the back entrance of Honeyside and unlocked the door.

Thinking she might be an intruder, Brynjolf had already placed Rowan safely in the crib behind him and was brandishing Chillrend; but when he saw Selene, a great wave of relief came over him, and he dropped the sword and went to her, gathering her up in his arms. "Oh, I missed you," he cooed into her ear, placing his lips on hers for a long kiss.

Selene could barely contain her joy, and as it was, she almost teared up. But instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and reveled in his touch, not caring that anyone was watching. "I missed you too," she whispered when they broke the kiss.

Lookingup behind her, Brynjolf smiled at Blanche. "Hello, lass. When Selene told me your name, I didn't realize you were _that_ Blanche."

Blanche had put on her hood and kept a low profile among the prying eyes of the city, but now she brought her head up again. "And you, Brynjolf. It's been a while, though last time I checked, I have a fairly singular name." Her eyes trailed to the redheaded toddler behind him. "I see you've been busy."

Brynjolf chuckled and turned back to Rowan, who stood in her crib with her arms out. "Ma ma ma ma ma ma!"

Selene put down her gear and went to the child, picking her up and snuggling her close, and then brought her over. "Blanche, this is Rowan. Rowan, say hello to Blanche."

The toddler reached a hand out, opening and closing her fist in a form of wave. "Vikeh!" she squealed. She suddenly seemed to notice something about Blanche that she found unusual, and she stared at her openly with a curious crinkle in her little brow as Blanche twitched out a small smile and imitated the clumsy action. "Vikeh to you, too."

"So how'd it go?" Brynjolf asked. "Did you find out what happened?"

"We did," Selene replied. "But we have a bigger problem now. Let's go sit down."

They all went into the kitchen, and Brynjolf got out bottles of mead for Selene and Blanche. There were only two chairs at the table, so he brought an extra in from the bedroom and sat down. "Now. What's wrong?"

"While we were gone, the Dawnguard showed up in Windhelm, looking for Blanche," Selene told him plainly, while Blanche kept a very straight face, putting her bottle of mead to her lips and gazing blankly into the corner. "Ulfric gave them their way, and they destroyed her house, killed her dog, and took Farkas and the girls,"

"What?" Brynjolf cried. "That bastard! Why for Talos's sake would he—why?"

"I believe he panicked," Selene sighed. "The sun had disappeared, and it didn't set well with Nilsine, who's pregnant and in poor health. I think the notion of a vampire in his city was too much for him."

"And he let them take the—gods damn it, I'd love to wring the son of a bitch's neck."

Rowan frowned and reached for Brynjolf. "Da da da da da." He took her from Selene, and she rubbed her little hand under his chin and kissed his cheek.

"She knows you're upset." Selene said with a smile.

"I'm all right, little one," he said, kissing her red curls. He suddenly put two and two together, and his eyes widened at Blanche. "Wait, you're a vampire?" When she lifted her eyebrows indifferently, he chuckled. "Farkas cured himself of the beast blood so he could marry a vampire. I find that very amusing."

"Ha, ha."

"I meant no offense, lass."

"It's not public knowledge, love," Selene warned him.

"Oh, of course. You know I'll be discreet. So that's what Nocturnal meant when she said you walked with darkness."

"Nocturnal?"

"Aye. Karliah and I paid a visit to the Twilight Sepulcher, and our lady was on about the Dawnguard as well. Now that the vampire threat has been reduced, they're setting their sights on Daedra worship. She said we need to prepare for war."

"Are we going to be called to defend the Sepulcher?"

"Aye, I think that's what she meant. But I don't think that necessarily means we have to go to Falkreath Hold. We can fight the Dawnguard on their own turf and still defend the Sepulcher."

Selene sighed and rolled her eyes wearily. "Well, they haven't completely given up on the vampires. They evidently raided a peaceful coven in Hjaalmarch that wasn't even feeding on humans. They were just trying to blend in. Killed them all, including a close friend of Blanche's."

Brynjolf turned to Blanche. "So the disappearing sun got the Dawnguard's attention, they found out you were a vampire, and since you weren't home, they took Farkas and the girls to draw you in. Do you think they took them to Fort Dawnguard?"

"If that is their plan, that's the most likely place they would go." Blanche folded her arms and rested them on the table. "I don't think hiding them would be the prime way to draw me into their ambush. Which means they're expecting me—ah, us. I suppose that means we have to do something unexpected."

"Do you have something in mind?" Selene asked her.

Rowan reached for Blanche, who took her in her lap. The toddler gazed at her curiously and finally ran a finger gently over her dark skin, then pulled it away and looked at her finger.

"She does the same thing to Tonilia and Karliah," Brynjolf explained apologetically. "Every damn time."

"It's all right." Blanche held her hand out palm-up for the little girl to see. "Let's see . . . Well, whatever we do, they'll be expecting a fight." She hemmed and rubbed her chin with her free hand. "Well, maybe we can oblige. I do have one idea, if you're up to hearing it."

"Shoot," Selene prodded.

"Have you ever been about to ambush someone, say, a bandit camp, and then it turned out that someone—or something—else had the same idea?" Blanche narrowed her eyes a little and smiled. "I once had a bounty letter to clear out a fort that was overrun with bandits. Just as I was pulling back the first arrow, a dragon showed up and finished the job for me. I had to kill the dragon afterwards, of course, but . . . do you see what I'm getting at?"

"Sure. You can just sit back and watch them kill each other and then clean up the rest when they're done. It's always a good time." A sly smile crossed Selene's face. "You know, I have a very good friend who just happens to be a dragon. In fact, I know a few who might help out."

"As do I."

"But if we send in two or three dragons, breathing fire and raining destruction, there might be collateral damage," Brynjolf pointed out, slightly unnerved by the matching expressions the women were making. He thanked the Divines that Rowan wasn't paying attention to their faces. "We'd want to know where Farkas and the children are before sending Odahviing in. Preferably, get them out."

"Or get the Dawnguard out of the fort."

Selene shrugged. "Several of the best sneaks I know are sitting right in this room."

"Brynjolf does have a point. We'll have to slip in, find where they are, and then unleash Oblivion." Blanche rubbed a strand of her own hair between her fingers. "The sentries will hear our Shouts. We'll have to do quite a bit of ducking and rolling."

"If we can get Karliah and Bryn to sneak in, too, we'll have four fighters working from the inside."

"That sounds like enough to clear out the Dawnguard good and proper. It's still a small group. About time those bastards were wiped out," Blanche grunted. "But we couldn't leave your daughter here alone."

Selene nodded. "You can run interference when Vilkas gets here," she told her husband. "I had Ulfric send for him, and you know he'll want to charge in, screaming a battle cry. We'll sneak in and assess the situation, and if it looks like we need reinforcements other than the dragons, we'll let you know."

"Mm, and we should make a point of not getting caught as long as possible," Blanche added. "And take the assassin's approach. You know they reinforce their weapons with silver, and even one hit to either of us wouldn't end well. Do you know the words of power for the Disarm Shout? That may be very useful."

"I know two of the Words of Power. I also learned a nice little Shout on Solstheim that will help me gain control of them, so if we get caught, I might be able to use that to our advantage." She stopped and considered. "Hmm. I wonder how easy it would be for us to teach each other Words of Power. Having two of us might be even more beneficial than we thought. Do you think there are even more Dragonborns wandering around Tamriel?"

"Dovakiin don't grow on trees, but it would be worth keeping in mind," Blanche replied. "But knowing the ways of the world, something will turn up to surprise us." She scratched the back of her neck and sighed. "I'm going to get some things from my cohort below if you'd like to come along, Selene. When should Karliah show?"

"She's probably in the Cistern now, lass," said Brynjolf. "She and Rune usually arrive around mid-morning to train."

"Are you heading down?"

"Aye. I had just finished getting Rowan dressed when you came in. Go on with Blanche, and I'll see you when you get there."

She kissed him and her daughter, then stood up and turned to Blanche. "Shall we?"

"Let's. Good seeing you, Brynjolf. And you, Rowan." Blanche rose from her seat and handed the child over to Brynjolf, then made for the door, putting her hood up before slipping out into the sunlight.

"Valindor lives in one of the hollows under the city, level with the water." She took the alley behind the Bee and Barb to avoid the pedestrians and casually descended the rickety stairs to Riften's lower level. She approached one of the plain doors secured into the wall and knocked. The door was opened, and a bright-eyed, dark-haired wood elf peered out. "Hello?"

"Delivery from Valenwood. I believe it's addressed to you?" Blanche kept her voice even.

"Oh, well, come in, come in." He kept his eyes on Selene as he held the door for them, and Blanche ducked into the dingy little tunnel with Selene on her heels.

Once the door was firmly closed and bolted behind them, the elf turned back to the two women and said, "Last time I checked, we didn't have much affiliation with werewolves, my lady." He turned his eyes to Selene. His bright, questioning gaze, combined with the way he blinked and quirked his head at an offset angle every few seconds, reminded Selene of a squirrel more than anything else.

"This is an exception." Blanche relayed the situation to him in a few words, and at the end if it all, he sighed. "I told you, you shouldn't use that bow. Now look what you've gotten yourself into. Why did you even take the arrows in the first place when you swore not to use them?"

"Keep your mouth shut and help me fix this mess." She cuffed him upside the head.

He took it with a little flinch and skittered away, back to a shabby alchemy table that stood in the corner. "Your armor is in there." He motioned vaguely to a chest behind him. "I . . . am terribly sorry, but I lent your cloak out . . . and I don't think I have anything that would fit your friend."

"We'll have to make do, then." Blanche looked at Selene. "Is there anything you'd like to buy or sharpen before we go? I can also whip up a makeshift cloak or bit of jewelry for you; I always carry soul gems with me."

Selene shrugged. "As far as apparel, I don't need anything. Wuunferth modified my Nightingale armor to augment the skills I use most often, so I don't need to change my armor, and my jewelry is enchanted for stealth and elemental protection." She chuckled. "Even my earrings and nose ring. I don't move well in a cloak.

"I have a lightning-enchanted sword and nice pair of daggers that I think I'll take with me. I wouldn't worry with the daggers, but they're better than a sword for sneaking up on someone and slitting their throat. They could use recharging, and so could my bow. I actually have a pretty decent stock of dragonbone arrows back at Honeyside. I don't know what you plan on using, but I should have enough for both of us. We might want to stock up on invisibility potions. I like to boast that I'm the best sneak in all of Tamriel—I even I have a power given to me by Nocturnal where I can turn invisible once a day—but even I can be detected."

As Selene spoke, Valindor filled several glass bottles with a vivid red potion, and Blanche went to his chest and began sorting through it. She retrieved a set of vampire armor that, judging by its blue glow, would reinforce her magicka, and a matching set of boots and gauntlets that both glinted with a resist fire enchantment. One of the gauntlets had wickedly sharp tips attached to the fingers, and even as she examined them, Blanche was careful not to touch them.

She gave Selene a small smile. "You may be the best sneak in Skyrim, but I won't let that go without a challenge. Still, invisibility potions are a good idea. I hope you were listening, Val."

"Always, for you."

"Good." Blanche set the things aside and stood. "You may not move well in a cloak, but I do, so I'll be right back. Remind me to invest in one for you, Valindor." And she was gone.

Valindor sighed and turned to Selene with one of his blood potions. "Try this, and tell me if you like it."

Selene took a sip of the potion. It tasted vaguely like a healing potion, but the first thing that touched her lips was the rich, coppery taste of blood. It made her mouth water. "Sweet Sanguine! Aye, I'll take half a dozen." She stopped and smiled at him coyly. "You weren't expecting that, were you? I'm a werewolf, lad; I have a taste for blood. Besides, Blanche told me about it ahead of time."

Valindor smiled, his two little pointed teeth gleaming in the light. "Good! I like them very much, myself." Selene's response seemed to have just about made his day, and he happily continued making his potions with renewed effort.

Blanche soon returned wearing a thick black hide cloak, also enchanted to resist fire (along with another, faintly blue magic undertone). She made quick work of recharging Selene's weapons with several petty soul gems from her satchel and then went to change into the other outfit. Although she kept her back turned, the wood elf stole a glance or two out of the corners if his eyes, which she chose to ignore. Once dressed, she put her hood back on and, still being careful with her needle-fingered right hand, slipped three clawed rings onto her left. She stuffed her other belongings into Valindor's chest and stood. "We should probably wait till dark. You're fine, Selene, but no one will look at any of us the same again if I am seen in this getup."

"I still have a few potions to make anyway." Valindor was shaking an invisibility potion with intense vigor. "They should be ready soon, though."

"I want to make a quick trip to the Cistern and talk to Karliah—well, and say goodbye to Bryn and Rowan, of course. Do you feel comfortable going with me, or should I just run over there myself?"

"I'll . . . wait here." Blanche murmured. "Tell Delvin I said hello."

Selene reached out and squeezed Blanche's arm affectionately, and then slipped out the door. She skirted the canal and entered the Ratway on the other side, then made her way to the Ragged Flagon, where she found Delvin and Vex playing with Rowan, who was sitting on the table between them.

"Mama!" the toddler squealed when she saw Selene.

She picked up her daughter and cuddled her close. "Hi, sweetie! Are you having fun with Delvin and Vex?"

"Vikeh!"

"That's the only thing the kid'll say," Delvin grumbled. "Been trying to get her to say 'Del' for weeks."

"Where's Brynjolf?"

"In the Cistern. He and Karliah holed up over by the desk, won't say nothin' to nobody. Somethin' goin' on?"

"Aye. Blanche's husband and kids have been abducted."

"What the—?"

"That's all I can say for now. Oh, except Blanche says 'hi.'" She hugged Rowan and handed her to Vex, who cooed and kissed the child on the forehead. Selene still thought the pale-haired Imperial was the biggest bitch on the face of Nirn, but she loved Rowan and was a damn good babysitter. "I'm heading over."

She ducked through the false back panel of Vekel's storage cabinet and entered the Cistern, where she found Brynjolf and Karliah talking earnestly behind her desk. Karliah reached out and hugged her when she approached.

"I'm glad you're back," the dark elf said. "Brynjolf filled me in on what's going on. Are you sure you don't want us to go with you?"

"That's the way Blanche wants it. She's been to Fort Dawnguard, and I trust she knows what she's doing, so I'll follow her lead."

Brynjolf sighed. "All right, but if you're not back in a couple of days, we're coming after you."

"Wait for Vilkas. I imagine he'll be here soon. If we're not back by then, come find us. Blanche will just have to deal with it." She reached up and kissed her husband. "I love you."

"I love you, too, wife." He wrapped his arms around her. "Never thought we'd go to war with the Dawnguard. I guess living a peaceful, quiet life was too much to ask, eh?"

"Let's not give up hope."

Brynjolf pulled back and gazed into her eyes. "Just be careful, all right?"

Selene kissed him again, then crossed the Cistern, giving Rune, who was practicing at the archery range, a hug as she went by. He and Karliah had married a couple of months ago, and though he lived with her now at Nightingale Hall, he still spent most of his downtime in the Cistern. He had always been good with a sword and dagger, but Karliah had taught him to be quite adept with a bow as well.

"What's going on?" he asked curiously. "They won't tell me."

"And I can't, either. If it comes to it, they will fill you in; but for now, we're trying to keep it quiet."

"Well, take care."

Selene went back through the Flagon and kissed Rowan again before making her way back to Valindor's house. "I'm ready when you are," she told Blanche. "They're going to give us until Vilkas arrives, and if we're not back, they're coming for us."

"Then let's not waste any time." Blanche nodded. "I think we have we have everything."

There was a tap on Selene's shoulder, and she turned to see Valindor holding out a large satchel. "As many blood potions as your heart could desire. And some invisibility ones, too." He gave Blanche a somewhat pitiful look. "Please don't get killed. Orthjolf and Vingalmo will be tearing each other's throats out if you do."

"Although I wouldn't mind that, Fura would finally go mad . . . and needless to say, I'd be dead, which is my most primary concern."

"That, too."

"Let's be off. It's dim enough out that if we're careful, we should be able to slip out unnoticed."

"We can go through Honeyside and pick up arrows on the way out. It'll also be easier to make a quiet exit."

Valindor leaned against Blanche briefly and trailed his eyes over to Selene. "Good luck, both of you."

Selene nodded a goodbye to Valindor and followed Blanche out the door. The war with the Dawnguard had begun. If they were lucky, there would only be one battle. Nocturnal was on their side, so hopefully they would have the luck they would need. She said a silent prayer to the Daedric Prince, just in case.

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC


	10. Dragonborns with Fangs 10: Let the Games

Dragonborns with Fangs Ten

Let the Games Begin

Selene picked up the horses from Hofgrir while Blanche kept back in the shadows, and then they set out for Dayspring Canyon. "I think Valindor didn't like me much when we first got there," she mentioned as they rode. "But after he found I could hold my blood potions, he warmed up to me. Is he head over heels for you, or is it a thrall situation?"

"Oh, he's no thrall. I am responsible for . . . his condition, and I believe he feels indebted to me for that. And between you and me, he's pretty upbeat about most things." She gave a quick laugh. "He's enthusiastic about what he does, isn't he? He likes when he makes others happy, especially through his craft. Funny creature."

They rode through the night and arrived at Dayspring Canyon in the wee hours of the morning. "See, this was what I was saying about horses," Selene grumbled as they stood outside the entrance. "What are we going to do with Brann and Shadowmere? If we leave them here, they'll be detected by anyone returning to the fort."

"I suppose it would be best to rope them together and leave them in the bushes. Shadowmere is a good horse, and she knows when to keep quiet. Maybe she'll teach Brann a thing or two." Blanche scratched at her hair. "That's the best we can do, I think."

Selene agreed, and they found a secluded spot to leave the animals. Before heading into the canyon, Selene stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Listen," she said, "I've never been here before, so I'll need to follow your lead. Is there anything you can tell me ahead of time, things about the terrain and the fort I need to be aware of?"

"They keep dogs in the fort, for one. Huskies. Personally, I dislike having to kill dogs, but these will smell you and alert the entire fort. If you see one, snipe it before it detects you." Her lip twitched slightly. "Also, the Dawnguard are by no means organized. They leave their weapons and money lying out, so help yourself.

"Oh, and they have . . ." She took in a little breath. ". . . pet trolls. Wearing armor. Not roaming out and about, fortunately," she added quickly, "but they'll let the things out when they know we're there."

"Pet _trolls?" _Selene repeated, eyes wide. "Who keeps a troll as a pet, let alone puts it in armor?"

"A very creative man, I guess."

"All right, we'll snipe those if we see them, too."

"The canyon is a little barren and hard to hide in, but the fort is just a maze. Plenty of things to duck behind and corners to lurk in." Blanche started to walk on, but Selene put a hand out again to stop her. "Hey, I need to know now. Do we sneak in and sneak out, or do we fight our way through? Gonna be hard to sneak with two little girls and your big lug of a husband, and considering what Nocturnal said, it may come down to killing them all. How far are you willing to go, Blanche?"

Blanche's eyes glinted in the falling darkness. "As far as it takes." The look disappeared as quickly as it had come, and she lowered her eyes briefly. "But let's avoid bloodshed until we have no choice. These men may not be the best fighters, but they have potent weapons and armor, and the zeal of the gods. If they want us dead, they'll do everything they can to make it so."

"I can't see us getting in and out without bloodshed, especially if they've hurt Farkas and the girls. And if it means protecting Nocturnal and her realm, I will kill every last one of them. You understand that, right?"

"Without a doubt."

They stepped through the cave entrance and walked into a deep trench. The narrow passage stretched as far as their eyes could see and was flanked on either side by high, sheer walls of rock. There was nowhere to hide, and if anybody came down the path, they would be caught. But they encountered no one. The mile-long path opened up into a canyon dominated by a rippling lake and four majestic waterfalls; the air was crisp and delicate, as if even the snap of the fingers would shatter it like a thin piece of glass, and there was no fog; the rising moon hung as a crystal. A stag drank quietly from the lake and paused to lift its head and watch the women, and a doe darted past them a second later. Selene could smell rabbits in the foliage as well. This place was a paradise. The trail was still narrow, but now it was flanked by trees, grasses, and boulders. About half a mile farther, they rounded a bend and saw the fort.

They could only see one tower at first, but it was beautiful as well, made of smooth stone with the battlements flared out at the top. It resembled a castle more than a fort. They didn't see anyone standing on the battlements from this distance, but they ducked into the brush on the side of the road anyway. As they neared the fort, they spotted a guard. He was standing on a sort of reviewing platform just over the top of a high post fence, holding a torch. With that guard, avoiding bloodshed went out the window. No way would they get past him with Blanche's family. He'd have to die.

The outer wall was made of wood rather than stone, odd for such a formidable fortress. Selene wondered if arrogance kept them from building a stronger wall. Perhaps they just didn't think they needed it. They crept silently along the fence, passing so close that Selene could smell the guard's breath. A little way farther and they found the outer entrance. There were barricades at the opening, but they weren't even blocking the way. They were moved off to the side, and the gate was wide open. Maybe they _were_ arrogant, just so confident that no one could invade their fort that they didn't bother with outer defenses. _Or_, Selene thought, _they're expecting Blanche and want her to get inside._

Selene peered carefully around the gate, and finding the way clear, she turned back and nodded to Blanche. Once they had crept inside, Selene pointed toward the reviewing platform where the guard still stood and, with a questioning expression, made a throat-cutting motion.

Blanche nodded and crouched to pull a creepy-looking dagger from her boot, and without making a sound, she crept closer to the watchman's turned back. One swift slice and a gurgle later, the sentry dropped. Blanche peered briefly over the edge of the platform before dragging him off and hiding his body beneath it. She returned to Selene, her voice barely audible as she whispered, "This would be a good place to call the dragons from, if we can get to it."

They hugged the fence and the fort wall all the way up to the inner gate. One guard stood on the wall, but there was still no movement from the handful of towers around the fort. Selene took the guard this time, sneaking up from behind and slashing her fire-enchanted dagger across her throat. The guard gasped, choked, and fell dead; and Selene rolled her body off the side and nudged it under the platform.

There were many different scents in the area as they snuck past a chopping block and garden, but the scents were several hours old. In the middle of the night, nobody was outside. They went around a bend and came to the path up to the front door, which was more open. Large braziers lit the way, and the closer they got to the door, the harder it was to hide. A single guard, an orc, stood on the wide staircase. Selene held up a finger to Blanche, then nocked an arrow and shot the guard. She hit him in the chest, but he took it like a shield.

He fixed his eyes on them and snarled. "You're going to die, bloodsuckers!" He yanked the arrow out and charged down the steps.

Blanche whipped out of the way, fingers clawed as she sent two handfuls of electricity at the orc. He was meaty, however, and although it slowed him down, it still didn't stop him as he brought out his weapon—a silver warhammer that would seriously wound the two night creatures if it came in contact with them. But with an enemy on both sides, he had to pick one to focus on. He chose the one with the vampiric eyes.

He grazed Blanche's hood once and she skittered backward, hissing and narrowly dodging his swings as Selene pelted him with dragonbone arrows from behind. He was a klutz; Blanche's nimble movements left him burying his warhammer into every brazier and tree, and stripping every bush in the vicinity, until he suddenly staggered and fell onto his knees, and then his face, his back looking like a pincushion. Blanche's electricity fizzled out and she crouched there for a moment, staring at him.

Selene lowered her bow and came over to sniff him. "I know this guy," she whispered. "He tried to recruit me for the Dawnguard a long time ago. I remember thinking at the time that he had a distinctive scent, so it stuck with me. Let's get him into the bushes."

Blanche lugged the huge body out of sight, and Selene plucked some of her arrows from his back and looted him for a few Septims. When all was done, they headed for the door. They were fairly certain no one else was around, but they scanned the area carefully before stepping into the bright light of the front steps. Selene sniffed at the wide, double doors that comprised the entrance, but they were too thick to tell if anybody was standing on the other side. She took hold of one of the heavy brass rings. "You ready?" she whispered. Blanche nodded, and she pushed the doors inward.

They opened onto a dark foyer leading to a circular room with a high, domed ceiling and a second-floor balcony, with three ground-floor doors opening off from the front hall. Moonlight shone through a broad window in the ceiling and illuminated a large circle on the floor that took up most of the room. From the view the door straight ahead provided, Selene assumed that the room across from them was the living quarters. No one was around, and the keep was quiet. It was around three o'clock in the morning; they were probably all in bed, sleeping comfortably with the knowledge that the guards wouldn't let anyone get this far.

Myriad scents accosted Selene's nostrils, not the least of which were those of Farkas, Sofie, and Lucia. They were here. Farkas's scent was the most prevalent, as was that of his blood. Wherever he was, he was bleeding. But he was alive. By the change in Blanche's scent, Selene assumed the Redguard knew so as well. Selene started to take a step forward, but Blanche put her hand out. "Don't walk through the moonlight." She narrowed her eyes. "I have seen that space on the floor used to execute vampires with some kind of sunlight-oriented magic; a branch of restoration, I think. Let's not take any chances."

Selene nodded, feeling exposed as she and Blanche moved quickly along the curved wall to the door on the right. They found a hallway that led to a spiral staircase on the right, another one straight ahead, and another corridor to the left. They tried the right-hand staircase and discovered it led to one of the towers, which was deserted. The center staircase led to the balcony above.

Two rooms opened off the balcony. The first—at least part of it—was someone's living quarters. A Redguard slept in a double bed, snoozing comfortably as if the tableau on the other side of the room didn't bother her. As cozy as her bedroom was, just beyond a barrier wall was the exact opposite. It was a torture chamber, and the floor was covered in Farkas's blood.

Blanche's eyes widened as she shut her mouth, which had been opened to better take in the different scents. She curled her lip and slunk back toward the Redguard. She stood over her for a moment, and suddenly her razored right hand burst into flame. She seized the woman's neck and pressed her against the wall. She woke instantly, and Blanche squeezed her throat.

"I'll kill you." Her voice was soft, lip still tipped up. "I'll tear your limbs from your body and rip the tendons out of your back while you're still breathing." Her grip tightened. "And paint my face with your blood."

Selene leaned in close enough to feel the heat of the flames and glared, letting her eyes bleed to black. She wouldn't shift, but she wanted this soldier to know what she was. "Where. Are. They."

The Redguard glared defiantly back and forth between the two women. She reeked with fear, but she refused to show it outwardly. She didn't even cry out at the agony she must be feeling over Blanche's smoldering hand around her throat. There would be no breaking this woman, not in the little time they had. She wouldn't tell them anything.

An articulated slice from Blanche's fingers, and she was done for. She dropped her like a rag doll and turned away, razors glistening. "Follow that scent. If Farkas is still alive, it's by a thread." She lowered her voice. "Stubborn creature. He let them draw lifeblood before he'd break."

_"Brave_ creature."

She nodded, opening her mouth and breathing in, closing her eyes. "This way." She slipped out of the room, paused to wait for Selene, and then continued on, eyes two bright points of light in the gloom.

They found him in the next room. It looked to be the same sort of residence as the previous room, but this one only had a table, a couple of chairs, some crates, and a cage. The cage smelled of excrement, both troll and human, and Farkas, who was curled up in one corner, asleep. He wore only a pair of ragged trousers. He was in bad condition, with a black eye and lots of cuts and bruises on his face and chest. The ribs on his left side were a vivid shade of purple.

Selene went to work on the lock as Blanche lunged forward and fell to her knees next to him, throwing off both of her gauntlets and caressing his face as well as she could through the bars of the cage. "Farkas! Farkas! Up, up, up!"

He twitched hazily and squinted at her. "Huh?"

Even that word was enough, and as soon as the door was open, Blanche scrambled in and wrapped her arms around his neck, hands alight with restorative magic even as she did so.

"Hi," he rasped. He touched his nose to her hair groggily and then blinked up at Selene. "Hi." He jerked his hand into a little wave.

"Hi," Selene replied with a smile. "We're here to rescue you."

"I don't need rescuing," he mumbled. "Got 'em right where I want 'em." He turned to his wife. "Blanche, the girls. They said . . . they said . . ." He didn't finish the sentence, just buried his face in her wispy hair and broke into a sob.

Blanche took his face in her hands again. "The girls what? Tell me!"

"They're dead. Isran, he told me. They wanted to know where to find you, but I wasn't gonna talk. They threatened to hurt them, but I didn't think they'd actually hurt two little . . . later I heard a scream, and Isran came in after that and said he'd had that stupid pet orc of his kill them. Blanche, I couldn't protect them; I'm so sorry!"

Selene shook her head. "No. Farkas, no, he lied. They're alive; I can smell them."

Her words didn't register right away, and he kept talking through his tears. "They thought I'd talk after that, but what for?" He snuffled. "They had already taken away my daughters, and now they wanted me to help them take you away—wait, what?"

"They're alive somewhere in the fort. We just need to find them."

"Oh, thank the Divines."

"This is all my fault," Blanche whispered. "Who knew what one arrow could do . . ." She shook her head and tilted his face to look him in the eye. "Love, listen to me."

He didn't listen. "I miss your gray eyes," he sighed.

She blinked. "I—not now." The healing light returned to her fingers, and the worst mars on his skin began to mend under her hands. "We are going to unleash the fury of the gods out there. You have to stay here, or you will get caught in the crossfire, and I don't think even you will survive that."

"You two, unleashing the fury of the gods? Give me some more of that healing light; I want to be there for that."

Blanche smiled wearily. "When—if—we find the girls, we'll bring them back to you. After that, do not let them out of your sight."

"Like I really would."

Blanche looked up at Selene. "Stay with him for a minute, please. I think there is a good place for him to hide, but I want to make sure there isn't anyone else with the same idea. If I am not back in five minutes, be worried." She put her gauntlets back on and crept away.

Selene knelt next to Farkas and squeezed his hand. "Is anything broken?"

"A couple of ribs, but she fixed those, and I can handle pain. Besides, I've been hurt worse fighting Vilkas. Heh, remember when I broke his jaw? But when I thought they had hurt the girls, I just . . . it's amazing how quick you can get attached to somebody, isn't it? I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost them. And Blanche . . . do you like her?"

"Aye, I like her quite a lot."

He smiled. "I'm glad. I figured you'd either love each other or hate each other. You're alike in a lot of ways."

"So I hear."

"Selene, I can't lose her, either."

"You won't, love."

* * *

Once Blanche was out of sight, she downed an invisibility potion, and a good gulp of a blood potion as well. It was a waste, but she could feel her own hunger starting to overtake her. It was like alcohol, she mused. An addiction that every vampire suffered. Pity.

All from one arrow. Valindor had been right; why _had_ she taken the bloodcursed arrows with her if she swore not to use them? Maybe it was just to remind her clan of what she had the power to do if she wanted to. That didn't help the situation any, but she had done it to save herself, and there was no crime in that.

Was there?

She sniffed around several pillars and came across another guard, whose throat she slit quietly and cleanly, and whose body she shoved underneath a staircase close by. And she always kept her mouth open, searching for the scents of her daughters. She caught Sofie's once, but it ended almost as soon as it began, which didn't help her nerves any. Keeping her emotions under such a rigid mask was her upbringing, her way of life, but sometimes it made things worse. Her hands were shaking.

If anyone died, she was to blame. _Solely_ to blame. The notion was like a poisoned knife stabbed into her stomach—the venom slowly trickling through her black, vampiric blood, sapping away the vigor of life to be replaced with a cold, still death. There was not much Blanche cared for in this life; she had money, power, immortality. It blurred together after a while, lost its excitement. The exception was her burly husband, who loved her no matter what color her eyes were, and her two daughters, already bruised enough by life's cruel hand. If they went, so would she.

All for the sake of an arrow.

But no, even the arrow wasn't to blame. It was her. She would not have needed the arrow if she wasn't a nightblood, a creature of the darkness. None of this would have happened if she was . . . human. Lycan, even. And Farkas had said he missed her gray eyes. Her _human_ eyes. She sensed those feelings in him often, but there was some unspoken agreement between them that said they wouldn't shove those thoughts down one another's throats. It had been his choice to be human again.

_What am I,_ she mused, _that I would pursue this path at the cost of everything I love?_

She came to the dirt-floored room she had been looking for. It was more cave than fort, and it smelled heavily of the dogs that were chained there. As she drew her bow and trained an arrow on the husky that sat near a pillar, chewing a bone, she told herself, _But the consequences are almost past. I will never give up my immortal blood._

Two arrows later, the huskies were dead, and she went to an opening at the rear of the room and gave the corridor a sniff before going back the way she had come.

* * *

When she returned to the balcony, she found Farkas lying on the floor of the cage, pretending to be asleep while Selene crouched behind a large crate. When she smelled Blanche, she stepped out in the open. "We heard footsteps a minute ago and decided we should probably be more subtle. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Blanche nodded. "Yes, it's all clear. Now let's see if we can get this barrel with legs down there without alerting the entire fort."

Although he wasn't built for stealth, Farkas managed to keep quiet as Blanche led them down the stairs and through the cave-like chamber. She led them through the narrow doorway and down a short, winding tunnel until they emerged in a large cave with waterfall plummeting down the center, a treacherous drop to the depths below. The placement of rocks and boulders provided several excellent hiding places in addition to some protection if dragon fire happened to reach that far.

"This is great, Blanche," Selene commented.

Blanche and Farkas kissed—a humorously one-sided affair, though Blanche almost seemed to enjoy the surprise—and they left him in the cave while they went to search the rest of the fort. They backtracked through the dog pens and down the hall past the large room across from the domed entry hall, which indeed turned out to be a dormitory. They counted six Dawnguard soldiers sleeping on cots in the room, but there was no sign of Sophie and Lucia. Although she hated leaving anyone alive behind her, Blanche motioned to Selene to move on. Their objective was the girls at this point, and if a fight erupted, someone might get to them before Blanche and Selene did. Blanche still couldn't imagine them hurting the girls, but they couldn't take chances.

They crept through a dining hall, where Selene slashed the throat of a soldier who sat at the table eating an early breakfast. They were starting to move on to the next room when they heard a soft whimper. On the other side of a barrier wall in a storage area, they found the cage holding the girls. Their captors had provided more comfort for them than they had for Farkas; two soft bedrolls had been placed in the cage, and empty plates on the floor suggested that they had been fed. The bedrolls had been moved close together, and Blanche's daughters clung to each other, sleeping fitfully. They appeared uninjured.

Blanche looked them over carefully, making a point not to wake them. "At least the Dawnguard have _some_ decency." She dug in her satchel and pulled out a lockpick, but her best efforts were in vain, and she broke five picks before giving up and turning to Selene. "I am a fair lockpick, but if you can't open it, then the key must be on one of the guards around here."

It was a tough lock and Selene broke a couple of picks, but she finally managed to get the door open. She kept watch while Blanche slipped into the cage to her daughters.

She touched each of them on the shoulder. Sofie woke instantly. "M-Mama!"

"Shush." Blanche covered her mouth with her non-razored hand and gave a yawning Lucia the fisheye. "Come with me and don't make a sound."

The girls rolled and bumbled to get up, and Blanche herded them out of the cage. Lucia broke away, evaded Blanche's grab for her, and scampered over to a table, where she picked up two dragonbone daggers. She returned with a sheepish look and handed one to Sofie, who tucked it into her belt. "I didn't want to lose them. They have Papa's helmet somewhere, too."

"Actually, I get the feeling that most of my valuables that haven't been pawned off are somewhere around here," Blanche sighed. "Now hush." After a minute's consideration, she looked at Selene. "It may be easier if we carried them on our backs. Less chance for tripping."

Selene nodded and motioned for Lucia, who was closest. "Okay, come here. Just be ready to drop and hide if we have to fight."

Nothing was ever easy, of course, and they met two Dawnguard soldiers coming around the corner. Selene dropped Lucia and drew her sword, advancing on a burly Nord.

"You! You're not supposed to be here!" he snarled.

"No shit." She swiped at him and got a blow in before he drew his own weapon. He was fast, though, and he was already swinging at her when she was coming around for a second blow. She blocked the worst of it, but the blade caught her forearm and blood spurted. Lucia yelped behind her.

He came in for another blow, and Selene caught his blade with hers in a circular motion and swung wide, yanking the sword out of his hand. With one quick jab in the chest, he was down.

The other soldier whipped out his axe and hacked at Blanche, and she sustained, with a screech, a good blow to the shoulder when she turned it to protect a squealing Sofie. She let the girl slip from her back and blasted electricity into the man's face as she scrambled back, trying to avoid his silver swings, but between the width of the corridor, Sofie _right there_, and attempting to keep out of Selene's way, she was slashed another time before the guard went down. It was only the eyes of the younger girls that kept her fighting halfway civil. She dropped to one knee and panted as the light in her fingers fizzled out. "Ugh."

"Mama!" Sofie crawled over and reached out to touch her, but she held up her hand.

"Give me a minute."

"I know you're hurting," Selene told her, "but we may not _have_ a minute. It's near dawn, and people are starting to wake up."

"If they weren't already woken up by that commotion, I know." A golden light swirled around Blanche's shoulders, lessening the flow of black blood that leaked onto her armor. "Come on, Sof. I'll carry you in a minute."

Sofie took the proffered hand while Blanche carefully used her dangerous one to get out a blood potion, which she uncorked with her teeth and downed. "Let's go."

Selene appeared to be in quite a bit of pain too, and she stopped to chug a blood potion as well. "Whoa," she muttered at the head rush it caused her. "Okay, Lucia, hop up."

Something caught Selene's eye as the girl climbed onto her back, and she walked over to a weapon rack and took a sword down with one hand while holding onto Lucia with the other. "Hold on extra tight, Lucia. I'm only going to hold you with one hand."

Lucia wrapped her arms more tightly around Selene's neck, and she gagged. "Not _that_ tight. I can't breathe."

"Sorry," the little girl giggled nervously.

They managed to sneak past the door of the dormitory even though people were starting to stir. There was no urgency; they evidently hadn't heard the commotion in the dining hall. But it would only be seconds before they found the bodies. With the girls in tow, Selene and Blanche crept down the hall, through the pens, and into the cave where Farkas waited.

"I was starting to worry," he groaned. "I hate just waiting here!"

"Papa!" Lucia said, running toward him with her arms out.

Farkas knelt and took her in his arms, wrapping the other one around Sophie when she approached. "Are you two okay? Did you take care of each other like I told you?"

"Papa, you're hurt!" Sophie cried.

"Shh! Keep your voice down, little lass. We're not out of this yet."

"I brought you a present," Selene told him.

He looked up to see her holding the sword and stepped away from the girls, taking the weapon from Selene and giving it a few tentative test swings. "Thanks."

Blanche peered out of the cave briefly, and then turned back to the others. "You three need to stay here. Do not come out, no matter what happens." She gave Lucia a pointed look. "If you see a dog, don't let it see you. If someone comes to look in this cave, hide. And mind your papa. We'll be back for you when it's safe."

The two girls nodded and snuggled up to Farkas, and Blanche turned to Selene. "Let's finish off these idiots. I have gotten downright sick of them."

"Aye. Let's see which of us can pick off the most bastards while they're still in their skivvies."

"A hundred Septims to the winner."

They slipped out of the cave and back through the dog pen, out to the main hallway just as three soldiers came wandering through the dormitory door, heading toward the dining room. _Well,_ Blanche thought, _this is it._ If they attacked and killed these three, it would likely wake the whole fort. If they didn't, they would find the dead man in the dining room and discover the girls were missing.

Selene had drawn an arrow and gave Blanche a quick glance for confirmation, and now she let go of the bowstring. The flame-enchanted missile hit her target in the shoulder and caught his hair on fire. He shrieked and flailed about, knocking the other two off balance. Blanche whipped her bow out and fired a few of her elven arrows as well. Selene quickly drew and shot a second arrow while they were distracted, hitting one of the other soldiers in the knee.

"I love to do that," she told Blanche with a wink. Blanche returned the smile.

But then the others were rushing in, and her lips curved into a very different expression. She pulled back another arrow.

"Let the games begin."

Her fingers twitched over the arrow, but she suddenly heard the footsteps as someone stepped into the corridor behind them. Blanche swung around, releasing the arrow in her haste, and then stopped dead as the target ducked, missing the arrow by a hair, and then looked up again, amber eyes meeting hers.

It was Serana.

* * *

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC

_A/N: This piece is a collaboration with Digipup on deviantART. Be sure to give us a review!_


	11. Dragonborns with Fangs 11: Free for All

Dragonborns with Fangs Eleven

Free for All

"I've got these guys," Selene told Blanche, sensing a drastic change in her scent. "You take care of her. _Mul qah diiv!"_ She was instantly covered in orange and blue light that took the form of dragon scale armor around her body, and she drew another arrow and waited for the next group to come out of the dorm.

Five of them filed out, and Selene shot the first one as she tried to ignore the urgent, low tone of Blanche's voice behind her as she poured out a flurry of words. But the scent of the dark-haired woman she spoke to was off, and she wrinkled her brow. "Hey, is she a—what on Nirn is she doing with the Dawnguard?"

"I'm not with the Dawnguard," the vampire said as a spike of ice suddenly flew from her hand, missing Selene by an inch, and pierced the stomach of a soldier who had gotten a little too close. Selene skewered him with arrows while he was down, and the second he died, the woman stepped up next to Blanche and called forth another spell. He rose again with a groan and turned on his comrades.

_Lovely_, Selene thought, _a necromancer_. Oh, how she hated necromancers.

Blanche nocked an arrow and shot another soldier, but the arrow bounced off his armor, and now a new wave was coming in.

"_Zun Haal Viik!_" The Shout took care of their weapons very nicely, and their axes clattered across the floor. While they scrambled to retrieve them, she sniped one, and then another.

"We're bottled up here in the corridor," Selene noted. "We need to get out to the main hall before they flank us."

But her comment was too late. She felt a searing pain in her right shoulder as a crossbow bolt hit. Someone was sniping from behind. Selene turned and drew on her adversary, but her head began to swim and she tottered off balance.

Suddenly, out of nowhere came a ghostly figure comprised of the same ethereal dragon armor that covered her, and it charged the Dawnguard soldier, cutting him down with ease. Selene downed a blood potion while it covered for her.

That soldier had been the last—for now—and the ghostly figure vanished. The vampire's reanimated soldier, now looking like a battered rag doll, moved over to join the three women and stood behind its master attentively.

"I'm Selene," she said, looking up at the vampire.

"Serana." The woman sheathed her spells. "A friend, don't worry."

Selene glanced at Blanche. Her scent had cooled, but her eyes were warm. "Right . . . can one of you yank this bolt out of my shoulder, please?"

Blanche wordlessly took off her razored gauntlet and got to work.

"Fuck! Me!" Selene hissed through her teeth as Blanched fixed her fingers around the bolt and pulled it partway out. "How bad is it bleeding?"

"He had very good aim." Blanche ripped it out abruptly with a little spatter of blood and flicked it off to the side of the corridor. "Hold still." Her hands lit with healing magic, and she pressed one hand to Selene's chest and the other to her corresponding shoulder, fingertips touching. The touch stung, but the magic soothed, and Selene gritted her teeth and took the pain.

"Blanche, now might be a good time to call the dragons."

"Dragons?" Serana repeated. "What do you mean, 'dragons'?"

"We have some friends we thought we'd call on for help.

Serana looked at Blanche. "Durnehviir?"

"Durnehviir." Blanche stepped away from Selene, wiping her hands on her armor and putting her gauntlets back on. "They aren't going to have much room in here; we had planned to summon them from a platform outside." Serana nodded consent as Blanche added, "But we need to bring these idiots out of the fort with us. Perhaps if we made some noise to get their attention."

Selene aimed and shot at a lone soldier who had come into the hallway. "We don't know the fort that well, so we should get to the door first; otherwise we could get trapped. Better to stand there and yell; let them come to us."

"Good plan." Serana nodded. "Let's go."

The women circled around the edge of the round hall until their backs were to the front door. Two soldiers stepped carefully into the atrium. "What?" Selene called, an arrow trained on one of them. "That's all that's left? Just you two? Where are the rest of your buddies?"

"They're coming," the soldier assured her, "with help."

His threat was punctuated by the growl of a troll.

"Well, come on!" Selene shouted. "We're waiting!"

Blanche and Selene exchanged glances before both letting out a howling snarl. It bounced off the walls of the atrium and spiraled up to the highest levels, following Selene's resonating words—everyone in the fort could have heard it as it rang—and then faded to a tense silence, leaving the air vibrating.

The soldiers started back, and then advanced; Serana flung a shard of ice at them to keep them from getting too close, and after just a moment, half a dozen men and women charged in from the door to the dining room, accompanied by one very large, armored troll.

"Holy Talos, they really _do_ have pet trolls." Selene started to back toward the door, focusing her arrows on the troll as she went, while Serana and Blanche did their best to keep the soldiers back. Serana's reanimated solder tottered forward but was cut down easily and turned to dust. Selene nodded toward someone standing on the balcony. "Blanche, that one's got a crossbow."

"Wonderful." Blanche grunted. She took a shot at the person on the balcony, but he was too far away and dodged her arrow. "The best we can do is run, and ruin the aim."

As if on cue, Serana dodged a bolt. "Ugh!"

"Let's go. Out the door." Selene backed quickly to the door and pulled it open. The second she was in the open air, she Shouted, "_Odahviing!_"

Blanche darted out after her, barely avoiding another crossbow bolt, and pulled the door shut as soon as Serana was out as well. "_Durnehviir!_"

The Words of Power boomed in resonance as a dragon's call echoed in reply over the edges of the canyon. On the ground, a huge vortex of purple light writhed and whirled, forming the shape of a half-rotted, corpse-like wyrm.

At the same time, Odahviing skyrocketed over the edge of the ravine, his red wings sending the trees swaying violently, and plunged to the ground. "Durnehviir, _sizaan zeymah_?" he greeted the undead dragon.

Durnehviir stretched his rotting, moldy wings. "Odahviing. _Drem yol lok, fahdon_."

"Good morning, my friends," Selene said to the dragons as the door opened the troll barreled out, followed by the soldiers. "We need help."

"_Zu'u mindoraan_, Dovahkiin," the red dragon replied. "Stand aside."

The two dragons took flight, and the women backed away as best they could, shooting at the soldiers wielding crossbows as the company spread out. But the soldiers weren't concerned with them at the moment. They were worried about the monsters that soared overhead. A crossbow bolt hit Odahviing, but he barely noticed, breathing fire over the soldiers in response. Durnehviir dipped in and grabbed the troll up in his jaws, chomping it in half before dropping the bottom piece to the ground below.

The dragons were faring well against their opponents, and something like relief seeped into Blanche's scent. She kept out of the fray and slipped back toward the door into the fort, where some of the Dawnguard had fled back inside. She glanced across at Selene with a look that said, "Ready?"

Selene nodded, and she and Serana followed Blanche. She worried that there were still more inside than out, but there was nothing for it. A few of the soldiers milled about the atrium, confused and frightened, and Selene didn't give them a chance to get themselves together. She ran toward them and Shouted, "_Fus ro dah!_" sending them flying and causing even more confusion. Then she drew an arrow to start picking them off.

Blanche did the same, minus the Shouting, but a few of them went after her, and she quit the bow and brandished her spells. Serana grabbed an axe and shield from a fallen warrior and engaged hand-to-hand.

Several Dawnguard soldiers were still arriving, and the three women were soon far outnumbered. Blanche ducked behind a barrel for a moment to drink a blood potion, although Selene imagined it didn't help her bloodlust at this point, as she emerged with a look and a screech that said she wanted to kill.

Selene hesitated, the thought briefly occurring to her that this was a really bad idea. These soldiers were trying to do what they thought was right. They didn't hurt normal people; they protected them. They provided a service. Not all vampires were like Blanche; many of them preyed on the innocent and terrorized towns and villages. But then the faint scent of Farkas's blood wafted through the room and she remembered that they _did_ hurt normal people. And what was the Vigilants of Stendarr's motto? "Walk in the light, or we'll drag you there, kicking and screaming." Well, maybe it was time for the vampires and werewolves to police their own.

But there wasn't going to be anybody there to run things if she and Blanche got killed, and it was starting to look like that could very well happen. They couldn't fight all these people. She quickly formed an idea.

"_Stop!_" she cried at the top of her lungs. "Sheath your weapons and hear me out!"

Most everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her curiously, half-distrusting. One of the trolls who had entered the room started to lumber over to where she was, and she quickly sent an arrow into its middle eye. It screamed and thrashed, its fur catching fire, and all the soldiers watched silently as Selene drew another arrow, shot it in its burning head, and ended its misery.

"Do I have everybody's attention now? Good."

She caught the scent of blood and looked over at Blanche, who had chewed on her lip till it bled. She was glaring at Selene with an _Are you out of your mind?_ expression. She gave the vampire a furtive wink and turned back to the group. Most of them were young and didn't look like they had much experience. This might actually work. "Today is the last day of the Dawnguard. The beings you hunt and kill have grown weary of living in fear, and it stops now. You deal in absolutes. If it's a vampire, it must be evil, and it must be killed. Well, which is more evil: someone who lives as an upstanding citizen, has a home and family, works in the community, and takes only what he or she needs to survive—and never kills an innocent—or someone who kills indiscriminately without stopping to learn all the facts? How many unjust murders have you committed for the sake of justice?"

"It _is_ justice," one of them said.

"Was it justice to abduct an innocent man and his two children from their home on the notion that a vampire _might_ live there?"

"They knew she lived there," Serana said quietly, "and they knew what they were doing."

"What? How?" Selene demanded without taking her eyes from the soldiers.

"They have their spies. They've been watching her—us—for a long time, hoping to get the chance to kill her and take Auriel's Bow. When they discovered me, they brought me here as a lure for Blanche, but . . . our clan thought I was dead. The Dawnguard realized a bolder approach would be necessary when she didn't show up and the sun disappeared."

Auriel's Bow . . . Selene turned her head just slightly and fixed her eyes on the whitish bow at Blanche's back. Blanche shifted a little, turning her shoulder to hide the weapon. "And that's when they took Farkas and the girls," Selene surmised.

"Yes," Serana confirmed.

She turned back to face the Dawnguard. "And then you tortured him and told him you had killed his daughters in the hope that he might tell you where she was, no? How is that justice, eh?" She narrowed her eyes, and a smug grin crossed her face. "And now the next thing to think about: do you really think it's just the three of us here? In an hour, this fort will be swarming with soldiers of a kind you have no hope of fighting."

"Pah, just vampires," a soldier spat.

Selene let her wolf spirit come to the surface just enough so that her eyes bled to black. "_Just_ vampires? If they're so insignificant, why did you have to form a whole military organization just to fight them? They're not just vampires, my friend, and they're not alone. There are werewolves, mercenaries, experienced warriors—the Dragonborn—and don't forget the two dragons sitting on the towers outside. Our companions want nothing more than to bring. You. Down. And all this started because your group kidnapped an innocent man and his children."

"If he's so innocent, why'd he marry a vampire?" one of them challenged her.

Selene didn't bother to answer him. "By doing so, you declared war."

"We didn't have anything to do with that," said a young woman in the back. "It was Isran and—"

"I don't care who did it. You're all responsible. You're a military unit, each accountable for the others' actions. But you're right: not all of you are to blame for giving the order to abduct them, so I'll give you a chance to get out. Lay down your arms and lock yourself in those cages you set aside for the two little girls and their father, and we will see that you're not harmed. When all this is over, you will be set free and the Dawnguard will be disbanded. Afterward, we'll make a promise to police the activities of the vampires and werewolves, ourselves. However, if you fight us, you will die, and horribly."

There was a long, tense pause. Somewhere in the back, someone's axe dropped, and he scampered out. It took a while, but nearly a third more followed. Most of the others seemed indecisive.

Until someone hurled an axe at Blanche's head. "But they _are_ vampires!"

Blanche dodged behind the barrel again with a hiss while the other soldiers tightened their holds on their weapons.

"You're just playing good because you know you can't win," a muscular, heavily armored Redguard with a thick black beard and a warhammer in his hands growled. "You're bloodthirsty savages, the bastard children of Daedra, and a few cannibals with manners don't change what you are."

Blanche, still behind the barrel with her back pressed up to it, twitched her upper lip. "Isran," she whispered.

Selene laughed mirthlessly. "And you're _not_ a bloodthirsty savage? We saw what you did to Farkas. Who will you turn on when all the vampires have been killed off? The werewolves, most of whom don't go anywhere near civilization? Or the Daedra worshippers? Become a military attachment to the Vigilants of Stendarr?"

He snarled at the remark, but gave no other response.

"What do you think the Daedric Princes will do when you go knocking on their doors? As for us winning, you're not so sure, are you? I can smell fear, and you're just as terrified as those poor bastards who locked themselves in the cage." She briefly turned her head toward the door, sniffed a bit, and smiled before turning back. "Tell me, Isran, would you have killed Farkas and the girls if they didn't give Blanche up?"

Isran narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I would have, if it meant bringing that creature here, looking for revenge." He glared at Blanche's barrel. "But I didn't have to, did I?"

"I want to kill him," Blanche murmured. "I want to. Let me kill him, Selene. Leave him for me. I want to kill him."

"He's all yours, my friend."

Fear flared anew in Isran, but he didn't back down or blink an eye. The fear was complemented with a grim, rock-hard determination. He might be afraid, but he would go down fighting. He wanted this battle as much as Blanche did.

The door behind her suddenly banged open, and Selene didn't even bother looking back. She smiled and cooed, "Hello, sweetie."

But it wasn't Brynjolf who answered. He simply chuckled as Aela said, "Good to see you, honey." The Huntress stepped up next to Selene, followed by Brynjolf, Karliah, and Vilkas. She raised an eyebrow at Blanche. "Why are you hiding?"

"You would too if you'd almost had your head diced by a flying axe," Blanche retorted. "Good to see you too, Huntress, Vilkas."

"Ah, the Companions," Isran crooned as the other Dawnguard soldiers gathered a little closer together. "And then some, just in time. Shame to have to eliminate you as well. Now, what is that armor the three of you wear? I can't place it."

"And you never will," Brynjolf replied.

Isran shrugged. "No matter."

"You would do wise to fear them, _Mey_." It was Durnehviir.

With that, Selene did turn her head. Silhouetted in the open doorway was the eye of the great dragon. It would have been almost comical if not for the baleful glare.

"They are just as prepared to spill your blood as you are theirs," Durnehviir rumbled. "And the walls of this fort cannot protect you from the dragons." To prove his point, he slammed his horned head into the outside wall, making the whole building shake.

Selene turned back and smiled. "Anybody else want to give up?"

A couple more dropped their weapons and fled to the cage, but the rest stood fast. There were fifteen of them left, including Isran, and Selene could hear another troll growling somewhere nearby.

"Where are Farkas and the girls?" Vilkas demanded.

"They're safe," Selene told him, "and hidden. The girls weren't hurt, but Farkas is a bit worse for wear."

Vilkas growled at Isran, and Selene put a hand up. "Leave him alone. He has a prior engagement with Blanche." She nocked an arrow but didn't raise it yet, just glanced over at Blanche. "Are you ready to do this, then?"

Blanche's fingers puffed into flame, and she grinned.

Vilkas lifted his sword and let out a battle cry. Aela and Brynjolf joined in, and Durnehviir and Odahviing howled, filling the atrium with a deafening roar. Karliah was too soft-spoken for that and just sighed with an expression that said, _Nords_ . . .

And so, the fight was on. Durnehviir's eye disappeared, but he and Odahviing could be heard outside, ready to devour anyone who thought running was still an option, or to bash in the walls of the fort so they could get to the soldiers inside as if they were rabbits in a hole, if the Dawnguard proved to be too strong. Karliah was quickly lost in the fight, but Selene occasionally saw her firing arrows from one corner or another and then flickering out of visibility whenever someone saw her and tried to attack, then reappearing elsewhere when she fired the next arrow. Aela was hacking; Vilkas was slashing. Serana had raised one of the dead Dawnguard soldiers to fight and was busy shooting ice spikes at another. A fireball from Blanche exploded in the distance, and through the crowd, Selene saw her taking Isran on with a vengeance. Neither had suffered a bad injury yet, but it was just a matter of time.

Selene tossed her bow to the side and drew her sword to engage a soldier who was charging her. She dodged his blade and swung around with her own, catching him in the side. He all but ignored the gash and the shockwave that Dragonbane sent pulsing through him and turned on her again, and though she tried to block, he buried his blade in her side. Pain and dizziness overwhelmed her as the silver seared into her flesh, and she dropped to the floor.

"No!" she heard Brynjolf cry, and before she knew it, her adversary fell dead next to her. "Look at me, love," her husband urged her.

"I'm . . . okay. Just help me up. I think I'll stick to the bow from now on." She scrambled over and retrieved her bow, but she found it difficult to pull the bowstring. She did manage to get a shot off and kill another soldier before giving up and collapsing. "Damn it!" she cried bitterly as she dug into her pack for a healing potion. She had none left.

Brynjolf had left her side and was locked in a fierce battle with a wood elf who hurled insults at him with every swing of his blade. Karliah was still flitting in and out, and Aela stood to the side and sniped, with Serana at her back. Vilkas was nowhere to be found. Selene heard a scream from beyond the dining room, and she dragged herself to her feet and stumbled across the hall and past the cage where the prisoners waited.

"Vilkas?" she called desperately.

"Over here."

She found him sitting next to a dead troll and sat down next to him. His trousers were shredded, and three bloody slashes crossed his left leg.

"He hit me just right," he muttered. "Scraped the armor right off, and most of the skin with it."

"How bad is it?"

"Eh, a couple dozen stitches and a good healing spell, and I'll be fine. You?"

"I think I might be going into shock." With that, she passed out cold.

* * *

Blanche and Isran were still taking one another head-on. He had used a Vampire's Bane spell against her and landed three crunching blows with his warhammer while she was down. She had recovered in time to avoid being beaten to death, but with each swing she more narrowly avoided his next. Even so, her weapon relied on her mind, not her body, and she was able to keep up her attacks. Finally the moment came where she staggered, and he picked up his boot and kicked her in the stomach. She lost her footing and stumbled backward, and while she groveled in the dust, he approached her and raised his warhammer. "Time is up, demon!"

"_Feim Zii Gron!_"

In a puff of white, his warhammer came down with an earsplitting clang as metal clashed on stone. An ethereal blue mist trickled away from his hammer while he stared at the place where she had been just a moment ago.

Suddenly, a cork dropped to the ground out of thin air.

With a smash, Blanche suddenly reformed behind him and lunged to bring the empty blood potion bottle down on his uncovered head. When he staggered, she sank her teeth into his neck, and her razored hand burrowed between the plates of his armor into his back. He howled, but the cry was abruptly cut off as her hand burst out of his chest in a storm of blood.

Blanche sneered as Isran's hammer dropped and he sagged under her arm. She ripped her red-stained forearm out, letting him crumple to the floor, and then turned to bare her fangs and practically roar at two of the younger Dawnguard who watched in horror.

Their weapons crashed to the floor, and they ran. "We are routed! Fall back!"

The room fell silent for only a moment. "Selene? Selene!" Brynjolf, battered and bloody, ran off.

Aela followed, shouting for Vilkas.

Serana and Blanche regarded one another for a moment, before Blanche gave up and fell to her knees, and then forward.

* * *

When Selene opened her eyes, she was home. She heard Brynjolf in the kitchen, cooing to Rowan, and for a moment she thought she had dreamt the whole thing. Then pain sliced through her side and Blanche groaned next to her. She turned over to see the vampire lying in bed beside her, just opening her eyes. Farkas sat next to the bed, and Sofie and Lucia oohed and aahed over the baby in the kitchen. Serana stood in a shadowy corner, hands folded in front of herself.

"My bow . . ." Blanche moaned.

"It's safe." Serana stepped forward and knelt by the bed. "Don't worry about it."

"What happened?" Selene asked Farkas.

"We won," was his simple reply.

When Brynjolf heard her voice, he came into the bedroom. "No losses on our end," he told her as he took her hand. "Lots of injuries, but none life threatening."

"You're hurt," she noted, motioning to a bandage on his forehead.

"A few scrapes and bruises. That reminds me. Rowan says, 'boo-boo,' now."

"I taught her that," Lucia bragged as she came in the room and plopped down on the bed. "Are you awake yet, Mama?"

"Hey, we talked about this," said Farkas. "She needs her rest."

Blanche smiled and lifted her hand to touch her daughter's cheek, but then flinched and gave up the attempt.

"And the Dawnguard?" Selene asked.

"Officially disbanded," Brynjolf announced cheerfully. "All the members are either dead or scattered to the winds."

"Mostly dead," Farkas added.

"Disbanded." Blanche sighed deeply and closed her eyes. "Good."

"But you—we—have to make sure the vampires don't get to be a problem now that they aren't there to fear," said Selene.

"I can see that cannot be avoided any longer. It is still a price I am happy to pay for the Dawnguard's demise."

Aela appeared around the corner. "Oh, and by the way, I don't know where you got those potions I found in your satchel, Blanche—"

"What were you doing in my satchel?"

Aela ignored the interruption. "—and I'm guessing they aren't legal, but they tasted marvelous."

"Right," Blanche said dryly.

Farkas patted Selene's hand. "Vilkas will be okay too. He's gonna be lugging that leg around like it's a log for a while, though."

There was a light skittering of feet, and Valindor's bright eyes peeped into the room behind Aela. "And you two got yourselves wonderfully grounded. You're lucky you had those dragons to pick off some of the Dawnguard for you, or you would never have survived, ever. Try not to do that again anytime soon, all right?"

"Valindor?" Blanche lifted her eyebrows. "What are you doing out?"

"My lady needed me. In case you haven't noticed, you almost died. Isran smashed your shoulder and collarbone quite expertly. And lots of other things, too. Why your head wasn't one of them is a mystery to me. Honestly—"

"Shut up, Valindor." A soft golden light swirled around her shoulders again. "But . . . thank you."

Sofie brought Rowan in, and the toddler reached for Selene and grunted.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Brynjolf protested.

"Oh, I'll be fine. Hand her to me."

When Rowan was finally in Selene's lap, she reached up and patted her mama's cheek where the skin was abraded. "Boo-boo?"

"Aye, Rowan, Mama has a boo-boo."

"Aye, boo-boo!" She leaned in and kissed the scrape gently.

"Where is Vilkas? Is he downstairs? I can smell him."

"Aye, he's resting in the housecarl's bed," Brynjolf told her.

Selene looked over at Blanche. "Well, my friend, I truly didn't think we'd make it. So. What now?"

Blanche squirmed a little. "Well, as soon as I can move again without my bones complaining, I'm going back to Fort Dawnguard and pillaging the damn thing to my heart's content. I took a hit from one of my own swords back there, so there are probably more." She lifted her eyes to Farkas. "There's also something I need to ask you about."

He smiled, instinctively understanding her meaning. "Whenever you want."

Blanche tilted her head a little to look at Selene. "And if you are ever up for some dungeon delving or mystery solving, I would be happy to have a second pair of hands, or to offer mine. I think there are many things we could learn from one another." A smile twitched off her lips.

Selene looked over at Brynjolf, who also smiled. "Whenever you want."

_Fin_

* * *

_A/N: Collaoration with Digipup on deviantART. Look for Dragonborn: The Legacy, coming soon!_

_Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC_


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